Definition

1. Noun:
   • A male deer in its second year: A young male deer, specifically one that is more than one year old but not yet mature, typically characterized by having unbranched antlers (spikes).
   • A sharp metal spike to hold a candle: A pointed metal rod, often set into a candlestick or other holder, onto which a candle is fixed.

Examples

• Noun (Deer):
  • The hunter spotted a pricket moving through the forest.
  • A pricket's antlers are simple spikes, unlike the branched antlers of an older stag.
• Noun (Candle holder):
  • The antique candelabra had several brass prickets for holding the tapers.
  • She placed the candle firmly onto the pricket.

Advanced Usage

• The term is specialized and is most commonly found in historical, zoological, or antiquarian contexts.
• In heraldry, a "pricket" might be used to describe a charge representing a young deer.

Variants and Related Words

• Pricket's sister (n): A young female deer in its second year. (This is a very specific, dated zoological term).
• Spike (n): A more general term for a sharp, pointed object, which can be synonymous with the candle-holder meaning.

Synonyms

• Young buck: For the deer meaning.
• Candle spike or taper spike: For the candle holder meaning.

Idioms

• No common idioms feature this word.

Noun

1. male deer in his second year
2. a sharp metal spike to hold a candle