horn

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See also: Horn, hörn, and Hörn

English

Etymology

From Middle English horn, horne, from Old English horn, from Proto-Germanic *hurną (compare West Frisian hoarn, Dutch hoorn, Low German Hoorn, horn, German Horn, Danish and Swedish horn, Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽 (haurn)), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂-, (compare Breton kern (“horn”), Latin cornū, Ancient Greek κέρας (kéras), Proto-Slavic *sьrna, Old Church Slavonic сьрна (sĭrna, “roedeer”), Hittite [script needed] (surna, “horn”)[script needed], Persian سور (sur), Sanskrit शृङ्ग (śṛṅga, “horn”)).

Pronunciation

Noun

horn (countable and uncountable, plural horns)

  2. (countable) A hard growth of keratin that protrudes from the top of the head of certain animals, usually paired.
  3. Any similar real or imaginary growth or projection such as the elongated tusk of a narwhal, the eyestalk of a snail, the pointed growth on the nose of a rhinoceros, or the hornlike projection on the head of a demon or similar.
  5. An antler.
  7. (uncountable) The hard substance from which animals' horns are made, sometimes used by man as a material for making various objects.
    Synonym: keratin
    an umbrella with a handle made of horn
  8. An object whose shape resembles a horn, such as cornucopia, the point of an anvil, or a vessel for gunpowder or liquid.
    • (Can we date this quote by Thomson and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      The moon / Wears a wan circle round her blunted horns.
    • (Can we date this quote by Mason and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      horns of mead and ale
    1. The high pommel of a saddle; also, either of the projections on a lady's saddle for supporting the leg.
    3. (architecture) The Ionic volute.
    4. (nautical) The outer end of a crosstree; also, one of the projections forming the jaws of a gaff, boom, etc.
    5. (carpentry) A curved projection on the fore part of a plane.
    6. One of the projections at the four corners of the Jewish altar of burnt offering.
      • (Can we date this quote?) Bible, 1 Kings ii. 28
        Joab […] caught hold on the horns of the altar
  9. (countable) Any of several musical wind instruments.
  11. (countable, music) An instrument resembling a musical horn and used to signal others.
    hunting horn
  12. (countable, automotive) A loud alarm, especially one on a motor vehicle.
    Synonyms: hooter, klaxon
  13. (chiefly sports) A sound signaling the expiration of time.
    The shot was after the horn and therefore did not count.
  14. (countable) A conical device used to direct waves.
    Synonym: funnel
    antenna horn
    loudspeaker horn
  16. (informal, music, countable) Generally, any brass wind instrument.
  18. (slang, countable, from the horn-shaped earpieces of old communication systems that used air tubes) A telephone.
    Synonyms: blower (UK), dog and bone (Cockney rhyming slang), phone
    Get him on the horn so that we can have a discussion about this.
  19. (uncountable, vulgar, slang, definite article) An erection of the penis.
    Synonyms: boner (US), hard-on, stiffy
  21. (countable, geography) A peninsula or crescent-shaped tract of land.
    Synonym: peninsula
    to navigate around the horn
  23. (countable) A diacritical mark that may be attached to the top right corner of the letters o and u when writing in Vietnamese, thus forming ơ and ư.
  24. (botany) An incurved, tapering and pointed appendage found in the flowers of the milkweed (Asclepias).

Usage notes

When used alone to refer to an instrument, horn can mean either hunting horn or French horn, depending on context. Other instruments are identified by specific adjectives such as English horn or basset horn.

Translations

antler — see antler
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

horn (third-person singular simple present horns, present participle horning, simple past and past participle horned)

  1. (transitive, of an animal) To assault with the horns.
  2. (transitive) To furnish with horns.
  3. (transitive, slang, obsolete) To cuckold.

Derived terms

Anagrams

Danish

Noun

horn n (singular definite hornet, plural indefinite horn)

  1. horn

Inflection

Declension of horn
neuter
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative horn hornet horn hornene
genitive horns hornets horns hornenes

References

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse horn, from Proto-Norse ᚺᛟᚱᚾᚨ (horna), from Proto-Germanic *hurną, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer-.

Pronunciation

Noun

horn n (genitive singular horns, plural horn)

  1. horn (of an animal)
  2. (music) horn
  3. corner
  4. speaker (on a telephone)
  5. angle

Declension

Declension of horn
n3 singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative horn hornið horn hornini
accusative horn hornið horn hornini
dative horni horninum hornum hornunum
genitive horns hornsins horna hornanna

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse horn, from Proto-Norse ᚺᛟᚱᚾᚨ (horna), from Proto-Germanic *hurną, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer-.

Pronunciation

Noun

horn n (genitive singular horns, nominative plural horn)

  1. horn (of an animal)
  2. fin (of a cetacean or other marine animal)
  3. corner
  4. angle
  5. (music) horn

Declension

declension of horn
n-s singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative horn hornið horn hornin
accusative horn hornið horn hornin
dative horni horninu hornum hornunum
genitive horns hornsins horna hornanna

Derived terms

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old English horn, from Proto-Germanic *hurną, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥h₂nós (with change in gender).

Pronunciation

Noun

horn (plural hornes)

  1. A horn (keratinous growth on one's head):
    1. A horn or a similar growth in fantasy, religion, or mythology.
    2. Such keratinous growths used as a material or in crafts.
    3. (rare) The metaphorical horn of one who performs cuckoldry.
    4. (rare, heraldry) A heraldic depiction of a horn.
  2. A jutting or projecting extremity of something, especially one resembling a horn:
    1. One of the two points of a moon that is less than half waxed.
    2. One of the two points of a women's hairstyle involving projecting points.
    3. (rare, anatomy) A horn-shaped bodily passage or chamber.
  3. A horn (gently curved musical instrument)
  4. Any other hard bodily extension in humans or beasts (e.g. a claw)
  5. A horn-shaped container, especially one used like a glass.
  6. (rare) A half or section of an army, troop, or band.
  7. (rare) The eyestalk of a gastropod or an analogous projection.
  8. (rare) Bovids which are horned as a collective.

Related terms

Descendants

  • English: horn
  • Scots: horn

References

Norwegian Bokmål

Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Etymology

From Old Norse horn, from Proto-Norse ᚺᛟᚱᚾᚨ (horna), from Proto-Germanic *hurną, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer-.

Noun

horn n (definite singular hornet, indefinite plural horn, definite plural horna or hornene)

  1. (zoology) horn
  2. (music) horn
  3. (automotive, rail transport) horn (warning device)

Derived terms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse horn, from Proto-Norse ᚺᛟᚱᚾᚨ (horna), from Proto-Germanic *hurną, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer-.

Pronunciation

Noun

horn n (definite singular hornet, indefinite plural horn, definite plural horna)

  1. (zoology) horn
  2. (music) horn
  3. (automotive, rail transport) horn (warning device)

Derived terms

References

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *hurną, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- (“horn, head, top”). Compare Old Frisian horn (West Frisian hoarn), Old Saxon horn (Low German Hoorn, horn), Dutch hoorn, Old High German horn (German Horn), Old Norse horn (Danish and Swedish horn), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽 (haurn).

Pronunciation

Noun

horn m (nominative plural hornas)

  1. horn

Declension

Declension of horn (strong a-stem)
Case Singular Plural
nominative horn hornas
accusative horn hornas
genitive hornes horna
dative horne hornum

Derived terms

Descendants

Old High German

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *hurną, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer-. Cognates include also Old Saxon horn, Old English horn, Old Norse horn, Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽 (haurn).

Noun

horn n

  1. horn

Descendants

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Norse ᚺᛟᚱᚾᚨ (horna), from Proto-Germanic *hurną, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- or Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂-. Cognates include Old English horn (English horn, Old Frisian horn (West Frisian hoarn), Old Saxon horn (Low German Hoorn, horn), Dutch hoorn, Old High German horn (German Horn), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽 (haurn).

Noun

horn n (genitive horns, plural horn)

  1. horn (of an animal)
  2. horn (to drink from)
  3. horn (musical instrument)
  4. corner
  5. angle

Declension

  Declension of horn (strong a-stem)
neuter singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative horn hornit horn hornin
accusative horn hornit horn hornin
dative horni horninu hornum hornunum
genitive horns hornsins horna hornanna

Descendants

References

  • “horn”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *hurną, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer-. Cognates include also Old English horn, Old Frisian horn, Old High German horn, Old Norse horn, Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽 (haurn).

Noun

horn n

  1. horn

Descendants

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse horn, from Proto-Norse ᚺᛟᚱᚾᚨ (horna), from Proto-Germanic *hurną, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂-.

Pronunciation

Noun

horn n

  1. horn (growth on animals' heads)
  2. horn (object shaped from or like an animal's horn, used for drinking, storage or making sounds)
  3. horn (object that makes a sound, e.g. on a car)
  4. (music) horn

Declension

Declension of horn 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative horn hornet horn hornen
Genitive horns hornets horns hornens

Related terms

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