Also Buck’s horn. [f. BUCK sb.1 + HORN.]
† 1. a. The horn of a buck. b. The horn of a goat used for blowing a blast. Obs.
1447–8. Shillingford, Lett. (1871). 36. Whiche bukhorn was presented to my lord on Candelmasse day.
1548. Compl. Scot. (1801), 65. Hudit hirdis blauuand ther buc hornis.
2. The material of a buck’s horn; also attrib. made of, or hard as buck’s horn, horny.
1613. W. Browne, Brit. Past., I. § 5. The swarty Smith spits in his buckhorne fist.
1820. Scott, Monast., xix. A large knife hilted with buck-horn.
1881. A. G. C. Liddell, in Macm. Mag., XLIV. 473/1. Short gray cloth jacket with a strap at the back, green collar, and buckshorn buttons.
3. From its hardness: Dried whiting other fish. (Cf. early mod.Du. bokshoren.)
1602. Carew, Cornwall, 35 a. Dried, as Buckhorne made of whitings.
1611. Cotgr., s.v. Merlan, A dryed Whiting; the fish which we call Buckhorne.
1655. Moufet & Bennet, Health’s Improv. (1746), 262. Stock-fish, whilst it is unbeaten, is called Buckhorn.
1807. Vancouver, Agric. Devon (1813), 398. Thus prepared, they … are called buckhorn.
