Antlers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Branching, bony structures that develop on the heads of male cervids and other similar species, often used for display or combat during mating season
2. Projections from the skull of male animals like deer that serve purposes such as attracting mates or establishing dominance
3. Bony, branched structures growing from the heads of male deer that are typically shed and regrown annually

Etymology: "Antlers" is the plural of "antler," and the singular's name points to the eye. The Old French "antoillier" was built from "ante-," meaning "in front of," and "oillier," from "oil," an old word for "eye." The idea was that the branched horns sit before the eyes, on the forehead, rather than farther back on the skull. The Middle English form "auntelere" came from that French word, and a Latin ancestor, perhaps "anteocularis" ("before the eye"), is likely behind it, though no such Latin form is attested. The surprise is that the word's core meaning is positional. Speakers did not name the structure for its branching or its bony texture but for where it grows on the head, which is why the word can be read almost as a description of a face.

Synonyms: horns, branches, prongs, tines, tips