antler
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
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
Explanation
An antler is one of a pair of horns that belong to most members of the deer family. An antler is usually curved and has branches. Antlers come in pairs: there are two antlers coming out of a deer’s head. Antlers are branched like a tree limb, and some are very long and large. The elk is an animal with impressive antlers. Antlers look intimidating and can be used as a weapon by the deer when head-butting. Only the males have antlers in most species.
Vocabulary lists containing antler
Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: ante, anti
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Animals (Zoology) - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Most were made from fragments of red deer antler, although some were made from bone, including whale.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2024
They leave behind happy memories for visitors — and scores of antler sheds.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 30, 2024
She has watched the woman she thought was her psychiatrist transform into the antler queen in front of her eyes.
From New York Times • May 12, 2023
There, archaeologists have recovered projectile points, modified bone and antler, and textiles.
From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023
Then she had loosened the earth and weeded with Mama’s big moose antler hoe and her own smaller hoe carved from a crooked tree branch.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
