antler

[ant-ler]

See more synonyms for antler on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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. 2018

Related Words for antler

knob, spike, point, rack, horn

Examples from the Web for antler

Contemporary Examples of antler

Then he returns to his cabin and (literally) hangs up his hat on the antler of a stuffed buck.
‘Granite State,’ the Penultimate Episode of ‘Breaking Bad,’ Is Walter White’s Final Act
Andrew Romano
September 23, 2013

Historical Examples of antler

In spite of the stories Antler told, the day was long and dreary.
The Later Cave-Men
Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
Antler saw the coming storm and at once she thought of the fire.
The Later Cave-Men
Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
As Antler lay in the deep drifts, she seemed powerless to move.
The Later Cave-Men
Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
Antler said she had often heard the Big Bear above the voice of the storm.
The Later Cave-Men
Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
Most of the women slept that night, but there was no sleep for Antler.
The Later Cave-Men
Katharine Elizabeth Dopp

British Dictionary definitions for antler

antler

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

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.