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antler

[ ant-ler ]
/ ˈænt lər /
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noun

one of the solid deciduous horns, usually branched, of an animal of the deer family.

RELATED WORDS

knob, spike, point, rack, horn

Nearby words

antivivisectionist, antiwar, antiwhite, antiworld, antixerophthalmic vitamin, antler, antler moth, antlered, antlerite, antlia, antliate

Origin of antler

1350–1400; Middle English aunteler < Middle French antoillier < Vulgar Latin *anteoculārem (rāmum), accusative singular of *anteoculāris (rāmus) anteocular (branch of a stag's horn). See ante-, ocular
Related formsant·ler·less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for antler

British Dictionary definitions for antler

antler

/ (ˈæntlə) /

noun

one of a pair of bony outgrowths on the heads of male deer and some related species of either sex. The antlers are shed each year and those of some species grow more branches as the animal ages

Word Origin for antler

C14: from Old French antoillier, from Vulgar Latin anteoculare (unattested) (something) in front of the eye
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for antler

antler

n.

late 14c., from Anglo-French auntiler, Old French antoillier (14c., Modern French andouiller) "antler," perhaps from Gallo-Romance cornu *antoculare "horn in front of the eyes," from Latin ante "before" (see ante) + ocularis "of the eyes" (see ocular). This etymology is doubted by some because no similar word exists in any other Romance language, but cf. German Augensprossen "antlers," literally "eye-sprouts," for a similar formation.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper