Etymology Dictionary

ANTLER,  the branch of a stag's horn.  (F.,—O. Low G.)   Like most terms of the chase, this is of F. origin.   The oldest E. form is auntelere, occurring in Twety's treatise on Hunting, pr. in Reliquiæ Antiquæ, i. 151.   The t stands for d, as in other words; cf. clot for clod, girt for gird, and several other examples given by Mätzner, i. 129.   Thus auntelere stands for aundelere.—F. andouiller, or endouiller, both of which forms are given by Cotgrave, who explains the latter as 'the brow ankler [by corruption of antler], or lowest branch of a deer's head.'   1. The remoter origin of the word is, admittedly, a difficulty.  I cannot explain the ending -ouiller, but we need not be at a loss for the source of the more material part of the word.   It is plainly the (so-called) O.H.G. andi, M.H.G. ende, einde, the forehead, a word which belongs rather to O. Low German, though occurring in O.H.G. writings.   This is suggested by the fact of; the occurrence of the word in all the Scandinavian dialects.   In the Danish dialects it occurs as and, the forehead; Molbech's Dansk Dialekt-lexicon, cited by Rietz.   The Swed. is ænne, the forehead, by assimilation for ænde.   The Icel. is enni, by assimilation for endi; and all point to an original form which Fick renders by anthja or andja, the forehead; iii. 17.   [Fick further cites the Lat. fem. pl. antiæ, with the sense of 'hair on the forehead.']   2. And further, we may confidently connect all these words with the Low G. prefix and-, cognate with Gk. ἀντί, over against, Lat. ante, before, Skt. anti, over against, before; see Curtius, i. 253.   3. We may also observe that the double spelling andi and ende in O. German accounts for the double spelling in F. as andouiller and endouiller; and that the Teutonic prefix and- is remarkably represented in A.S. andwlita, mod. G. antlitz, the face, countenance. [※]

ERRATA

(F.,—L.)   Spelt awntelere in the Book of St. Albans, leaf e 1, back; auntelere, Reliquiæ Antiq. i. 151.   The etymology given is wrong, and the supposition that t stands for d is also wrong.   On the contrary, the forms andouiller and endouiller in Cotgrave are corruptions, respectively, of O.F. antoillier, entoillier, cited by Littré.   Of these, the former answers to a Low Lat. antocularium* (Scheler), lit. that which is in front of the eye.   If this be so, the etymology is from Lat. ante oculum, before the eye.   See Ante- and Ocular.   Cf. F. oeiller, adj., belonging to the eye (Cotgrave), from Lat. ocularius.