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hollow-horned

hollow-horned

9.9
Having horns that are empty inside rather than solid
  • adjective
  • /ˈhɑloʊˌhɔrnd/
translation icon : con cuernos huecos
  • There is a hitch, however, to how male sexual development plays out in bovids, the large family of ungulates that comprises the antelopes and other hollow-horned ruminants, such as cattle, goats, and sheep.

Examples

  • Many hollow-horned species, like sheep, use their horns for defense against predators.

  • The mountain goat is a hollow-horned animal known for its agility on rocky terrain.

  • The museum showcased fossils of hollow-horned creatures that once roamed the earth.

Surface Forms

hollow-horned positive

Morphology

hollow-horned = hollow + horn (transparent) = hollow + horn + ed

Formed from the compound 'hollow' + 'horn' with the adjectival suffix '-ed'; the meaning 'having hollow horns' is directly deducible.

Etymology

Hollow-horned comes from the two English parts hollow ('empty inside') and horned ('having horns'); it names animals whose horns are hollow rather than solid. That's why antelopes and some cattle are called hollow-horned, while deer have solid antlers.