🦌 Deer antler material 🌿 Deer horn or plant

buckhorn

1 8.5

A hard material made from a deer's antler used for handles and decorations

noun
/ˈbʌkˌhɔrn/

: cuerno de ciervo

The Delaware rose to his feet, put a hand on the buckhorn handle of his skinning knife.

Examples

During her email messages to Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

Blog text (23)
Kelley sent multiple emails to Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn asking for help with the paparazzi outside her home, according to the New York Daily News.

Blog text (23)
The hunter crafted a knife with a beautiful buckhorn handle that showcased his skill.
She admired the antique walking stick, which had a finely carved buckhorn grip.
The artisan offered several decorative items made from buckhorn at the craft fair.

Synonyms

antler

vsbuckhorn

41 3.7

A branched horn on a deer that falls off and grows back each year

is the same material but named for its use as handles and decoration

hartshorn

vsbuckhorn

Archaic

1 9.9

An antler of a deer or a material from it used in older baking and medicine

is material used for handles and decorative grips rather than for medicine

elkhorn

vsbuckhorn

8.2

The antler of an elk or a piece of that antler used for handles and decoration

is material from deer antlers commonly used for handles and grips

oxhorn

vsbuckhorn

6.6

A horn taken from an ox used to make items like combs and buttons

is from deer and used especially for handles grips and decoration

Surface Forms

buckhorn singular

buckhorns plural

Morphology

buckhorn = buck + horn (transparent) = buck + horn

The meaning ('material made from a deer's antler') is directly derivable from 'buck' + 'horn' with a straightforward metonymic extension to the material.

Etymology

Buckhorn comes from buck 'male deer' and horn 'horn', because the material is made from a deer's horn and used for handles and grips. So a knife or walking stick with a buckhorn handle really has a piece made from a deer's horn.