ossicone

noun

os·​si·​cone ˈä-sə-ˌkōn 

plural ossicones

: one of usually two short conical or columnar protuberances on the head of male and female giraffes and male okapis that are composed of ossified cartilage covered by skin and hair

Note: As ossicones enlarge and ossify, they become fused to the skull.

Examples of ossicone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The lightning strike apparently hit one giraffe on the top of its head, judging by a fracture in the skull near the base of its antler-like ossicone, George Dvorsky reports for Gizmodo. —Theresa MacHemer, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Sep. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ossicone

noun

os·​si·​cone

ˈäs-ə-ˌkōn

: one of usually two short hornlike growths on the tops of the heads of male and female giraffes and male okapis