What does bosset mean?
Bosset is a rare noun with two established but very different senses. Its principal meaning is one of the antlers of a red deer, particularly the large, branched antler of an adult stag. In this specialized hunting sense, a bosset may be described by its points, length, or condition, making it useful in traditional field-sport vocabulary. The word also has an old sense for a hair or small tuft of hair on the upper lip, though this usage now sounds historical or literary. The modern antler meaning is especially associated with British hunting, although dictionaries in both Britain and the United States record the word. Bosset is worth knowing because it gives a precise name to a distinctive feature of the red deer and preserves terminology from older sporting and literary traditions.
nounA bosset is one of the antlers of a red deer, especially an adult stag. In older usage, it can also mean a hair or small tuft of hair on the upper lip.
- One of the antlers of a red deer.
- A hair or small tuft of hair on the upper lip; now chiefly historical or literary.
"The guide pointed to the broken tip of the red deer's left bosset."
"A mature red deer stag has a large, branched bosset on each side of its head."
"The Victorian portraitist carefully painted the dark bosset above the sitter's upper lip."
The standard plural is bossets, used when referring to a deer's two antlers or to several specimens recorded in hunting or wildlife studies.
"The field notes recorded the dimensions and number of points on both bossets."
In traditional hunting language, a red deer's antler was not simply a horn: it had its own name, the bosset.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does bosset come from?
Bosset entered English from French bossette, a diminutive of bosse, meaning a bump or tuft. The English hunting sense, referring to a branch of a red deer's antler, was established by the early modern period. The same French root also lies behind English words such as boss and emboss.
How bosset is actually used
Bosset is a rare, specialized term. Its antler sense is most familiar in British hunting and wildlife vocabulary, while the upper-lip sense is old-fashioned and mainly encountered in historical or literary contexts.
Easily confused with bosset
A bosset is a red deer antler or an old term for upper-lip hair, whereas a basset is most commonly a type of hound or another word derived from the French meaning 'low, deep'.