dander

/ˈdændər/

/ˈdændə/

Other forms: danders

Dander is an animal's tiny flakes of skin. People who are allergic to cats are typically sensitive to their dander.

Furry animals shed both hair and microscopic dander — and it's more common to be allergic to the dander. If you have dog allergies, your body overreacts to breathing in the dander of your best friend's chihuahua, making you sneeze. Another kind of dander is an angry or frustrated feeling, which shows up in the phrase "get your dander up." You might say, "My dander was up from the minute he made that offensive joke."

Definitions of dander

1. noun

   small scales from animal skins or hair or bird feathers that can cause allergic reactions in some people
   type of:

   exfoliation, scale, scurf

   a thin flake of dead epidermis shed from the surface of the skin
2. noun

   a feeling of anger and animosity
   “having one's hackles or dander up”

   synonyms: hackles

   type of:

   anger, bile, choler, ire

   anger; irritability