noun
beast (esp. boar or deer); game animal
Archaic word for a wild animal, especially one hunted for meat. In modern Japanese, けもの or けだもの is used for 'beast', and specific animals are called いのしし (boar) or しか (deer).
古くは、山でししを捕るのが冬の仕事だった。
Long ago, catching beasts in the mountains was winter work.
noun
Abbreviation of 獣狩り (ししがり). Archaic and limited to hunting contexts; not used in modern everyday language.
See also: 獣狩り
「しし」は獣狩りの略として、昔話に出てくることがある。
The word しし sometimes appears in old tales as an abbreviation for beast hunting.
The reading しし is an old native Japanese word for wild animals, especially those hunted for food. The kanji 獣, 猪, and 鹿 were later applied, with 猪 and 鹿 specifying boar and deer respectively. The exact origin of the word is uncertain.