Definition

1. Noun:
   • A deciduous horn of a member of the deer family: An antler is one of the two branched, bony growths on the head of animals like deer, elk, and moose. Unlike permanent horns, antlers are shed and regrown annually.

Usage

• Antlers are typically grown by male deer (bucks, stags) and are used for display, dominance fights, and attracting mates.
• The term refers specifically to the entire branched structure, not just a single point.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The majestic stag had a large set of antlers.
  • Each year, deer shed their old antlers and grow new ones.
  • He found a shed antler while hiking in the woods.

Advanced Usage

• "In velvet": Refers to the stage when new antlers are growing and are covered in a soft, fuzzy skin called velvet, which supplies blood and nutrients.
  • The buck's antlers were still in velvet during the spring.
• "Rack of antlers": A common phrase to describe the full set of antlers on an animal's head.
  • The hunter was impressed by the size of the elk's rack.

Variants and Related Words

• Antlered (adj): Having antlers.
  • The forest is home to many antlered animals.
• Palmate: A specific shape of antler, like that of a moose, which is broad and flat like a hand.
  • Moose are known for their distinctive palmate antlers.

Synonyms

• Horn (Note: This is a broader and less precise synonym. True horns, like those on cattle, are permanent and unbranched, while antlers are deciduous and branched.)
• Branch (when referring to a single tine or point of the antler structure).

Related Phrases

• "Shed antlers": The antlers that have been naturally dropped by the animal.
  • Shed antler hunting is a popular spring activity.
• "Polish one's antlers": A behavior where deer rub their antlers against trees to remove the velvet or mark territory.
  • The deer was polishing its antlers on a young sapling.

Noun

1. deciduous horn of a member of the deer family