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Webster 1913 Edition

Horn

Horn

(hôrn)
,
Noun.
[AS.
horn
; akin to D.
horen
,
hoorn
, G., Icel., Sw., & Dan.
horn
, Goth.
haúrn
, W., Gael., & Ir.
corn
, L.
cornu
, Gr.
κέρας
, and perh. also to E.
cheer
,
cranium
,
cerebral
; cf. Skr.
çiras
head. Cf.
Carat
,
Corn
on the foot,
Cornea
,
Corner
,
Cornet
,
Cornucopia
,
Hart
.]
1.
A hard, projecting, and usually pointed organ, growing upon the heads of certain animals, esp. of the ruminants, as cattle, goats, and the like. The hollow horns of the Ox family consist externally of true horn, and are never shed.
2.
The antler of a deer, which is of bone throughout, and annually shed and renewed.
3.
(Zool.)
Any natural projection or excrescence from an animal, resembling or thought to resemble a horn in substance or form;
esp.:
(a)
A projection from the beak of a bird, as in the hornbill.
(b)
A tuft of feathers on the head of a bird, as in the horned owl.
(c)
A hornlike projection from the head or thorax of an insect, or the head of a reptile, or fish.
(d)
A sharp spine in front of the fins of a fish, as in the horned pout.
4.
(Bot.)
An incurved, tapering and pointed appendage found in the flowers of the milkweed (
Asclepias
).
5.
Something made of a horn, or in resemblance of a horn
; as:
(a)
A wind instrument of music; originally, one made of a horn (of an ox or a ram); now applied to various elaborately wrought instruments of brass or other metal, resembling a horn in shape.
“Wind his horn under the castle wall.”
Spenser.
See
French horn
, under
French
.
(b)
A drinking cup, or beaker, as having been originally made of the horns of cattle.
“Horns of mead and ale.”
Mason.
(c)
The cornucopia, or horn of plenty.
See
Cornucopia
. “Fruits and flowers from Amalthæa’s horn.”
Milton.
(d)
A vessel made of a horn; esp., one designed for containing powder; anciently, a small vessel for carrying liquids.
“Samuel took the hornof oil and anointed him [David].”
1 Sam. xvi. 13.
(e)
The pointed beak of an anvil.
(f)
The high pommel of a saddle; also, either of the projections on a lady's saddle for supporting the leg.
(g)
(Arch.)
The Ionic volute.
(h)
(Naut.)
The outer end of a crosstree; also, one of the projections forming the jaws of a gaff, boom, etc.
(i)
(Carp.)
A curved projection on the fore part of a plane.
(j)
One of the projections at the four corners of the Jewish altar of burnt offering.
“Joab . . . caught hold on the horns of the altar.”
1 Kings ii. 28.
6.
One of the curved ends of a crescent; esp., an extremity or cusp of the moon when crescent-shaped.
The moon
Wears a wan circle round her blunted
horns
.
Thomson.
7.
(Mil.)
The curving extremity of the wing of an army or of a squadron drawn up in a crescentlike form.
Sharpening in mooned
horns

Their phalanx.
Milton.
8.
The tough, fibrous material of which true horns are composed, being, in the Ox family, chiefly albuminous, with some phosphate of lime; also, any similar substance, as that which forms the hoof crust of horses, sheep, and cattle;
as, a spoon of
horn
.
9.
(Script.)
A symbol of strength, power, glory, exaltation, or pride.
The Lord is . . . the
horn
of my salvation.
Ps. xviii. 2.
10.
An emblem of a cuckold; – used chiefly in the plural.
“Thicker than a cuckold's horn.”
Shak.
Horn block
,
the frame or pedestal in which a railway car axle box slides up and down; – also called
horn plate
.
–
Horn of a dilemma
.
See under
Dilemma
.
–
Horn distemper
,
a disease of cattle, affecting the internal substance of the horn.
–
Horn drum
,
a wheel with long curved scoops, for raising water.
–
Horn lead
(Chem.)
,
chloride of lead.
–
Horn maker
,
a maker of cuckolds.
[Obs.]
Shak.
–
Horn mercury
.
(Min.)
Same as
Horn quicksilver
(below).
–
Horn poppy
(Bot.)
,
a plant allied to the poppy (
Glaucium luteum
), found on the sandy shores of Great Britain and Virginia; – called also
horned poppy
.
Gray.
–
Horn pox
(Med.)
,
abortive smallpox with an eruption like that of chicken pox.
–
Horn quicksilver
(Min.)
,
native calomel, or bichloride of mercury.
–
Horn shell
(Zool.)
,
any long, sharp, spiral, gastropod shell, of the genus
Cerithium
, and allied genera.
–
Horn silver
(Min.)
,
cerargyrite.
–
Horn slate
,
a gray, siliceous stone.
–
To pull in one's horns
,
To haul in one's horns
,
to withdraw some arrogant pretension; to cease a demand or withdraw an assertion.
[Colloq.]
–
To raise the horn
, or
To lift the horn
(Script.)
,
to exalt one's self; to act arrogantly.
“'Gainst them that raised thee dost thou lift thy horn?”
Milton.
–
To take a horn
,
to take a drink of intoxicating liquor.
[Low]

Horn

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To furnish with horns; to give the shape of a horn to.
2.
To cause to wear horns; to cuckold.
[Obs.]
Shak.

Webster 1828 Edition

Horn

HORN

,
Noun.
[L. cornu]
1.
A hard substance growing on the heads of certain animals, and particularly on cloven-footed quadrupeds; usually projecting to some length and terminating in a point. Horns are generally bent or curving, and those of some animals are spiral. They serve for weapons of offense and defense. The substance of horns is gelatinous, and in Papin's digester it may be converted into jelly.
Horn is an animal substance, chiefly membranous, consisting of coagulated albumen, with a little gelatin and phosphate of lime.
The horns of deer possess exactly the properties of bone,and are composed of the same constituents, only the proportion of cartilage is greater.
2.
A wind instrument of music, made of horn; a trumpet. Such were used by the Israelites.
3.
In modern times, a wind instrument made of metal.
4.
An extremity of the moon, when it is waxing or waning, and forming a crescent.
5.
The feeler or antenna of an insect.
6.
The feeler of a snail, which may be withdrawn; hence, to pull or draw in the horns, is to repress one's ardor, or to restrain pride.
7.
A drinking cup; horns being used anciently for cups.
8.
A winding stream.
9.
Horns, in the plural, is used to characterize a cuckold. He wears the horns.
10. In Scripture, horn is a symbol of strength or power.
The horn of Moab is cut off. Jer.48.
Horn is also an emblem of glory, honor, dignity.
My horn is exalted in the Lord. 1 Sam.2.
In Daniel, horn represents a kingdom or state.

Definition 2024

Horn

Horn

See also: horn, hörn, and Hörn

English

Proper noun

Horn

  1. Cape Horn, at the southern tip of South America.
    Sailing around the Horn was an arduous journey for sailing ships.
  2. The Horn of Africa, a peninsula of Africa which juts into the Arabian Sea.
    • 1978, War in the Horn of Africa, report of the United States Fact-Finding Mission to Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya, page 4:
      At the same time, it would be erroneous to exaggerate U.S. interests, to overreact to political developments in the Horn, or to adopt imprudent policies based on emotional reactions to Soviet and Cuban involvement.
    • 1998, John Markakis, Resource conflict in the Horn of Africa, page 185:
      […] countries fail to explore the possibilities of producing other crops of high value and demand in the Horn or elsewhere.
    • 2001, Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi, Culture and Customs of Somalia (ISBN 0313313334), page 8:
      The word Somali itself today refers to any inhabitant of Somalia; it also refers to any person of ethnic Somali origin in the Horn or elsewhere.
    • 2012, Peter Woodward, Crisis In The Horn of Africa (ISBN 1780762216), page 39:
      Although major coups had taken off in the Arab world in Egypt in 1952, this was the first coup in the Horn or indeed in post-independence Africa.

Synonyms

German

Etymology

From Old High German horn, from Proto-Germanic *hurną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer-. Compare Low German Hoorn, horn, Dutch hoorn, English horn, Danish and Swedish horn.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /hɔrn/

Noun

Horn n ‎(genitive Hornes or Horns, plural Hörner, diminutive Hörnchen n or Hörnlein n)

  1. horn (musical instrument)
  2. cornet
  3. (anatomy) cranial parietal bones

Declension

Noun

Horn n ‎(genitive Hornes or Horns, plural Horne)

  1. horn (substance from which animal horns are made)

Proper noun

Horn m, f ‎(genitive Horns)

  1. A surname​.

Hungarian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈhorn]

Proper noun

Horn

  1. A surname​.

Declension

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative Horn Hornok
accusative Hornt Hornokat
dative Hornnak Hornoknak
instrumental Hornnal Hornokkal
causal-final Hornért Hornokért
translative Hornná Hornokká
terminative Hornig Hornokig
essive-formal Hornként Hornokként
essive-modal — —
inessive Hornban Hornokban
superessive Hornon Hornokon
adessive Hornnál Hornoknál
illative Hornba Hornokba
sublative Hornra Hornokra
allative Hornhoz Hornokhoz
elative Hornból Hornokból
delative Hornról Hornokról
ablative Horntól Hornoktól
Possessive forms of Horn
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. Hornom Hornjaim
2nd person sing. Hornod Hornjaid
3rd person sing. Hornja Hornjai
1st person plural Hornunk Hornjaink
2nd person plural Hornotok Hornjaitok
3rd person plural Hornjuk Hornjaik

See also

  • Appendix:Hungarian surnames

horn

horn

See also: Horn, hörn, and Hörn

English

Noun

horn ‎(countable and uncountable, plural horns)

  1. (countable) A hard growth of keratin that protrudes from the top of the head of certain animals, usually paired.
  2. 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.
  3. An antler.
  4. (uncountable) The hard substance from which animals' horns are made, sometimes used by man as a material for making various objects.
    an umbrella with a handle made of horn
  5. An object whose shape resembles a horn, such as cornucopia, the point of an anvil, or a vessel for gunpowder or liquid.
    • Thomson
      The moon / Wears a wan circle round her blunted horns.
    • Mason
      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.
    2. (architecture) The Ionic volute.
    3. (nautical) The outer end of a crosstree; also, one of the projections forming the jaws of a gaff, boom, etc.
    4. (carpentry) A curved projection on the fore part of a plane.
    5. One of the projections at the four corners of the Jewish altar of burnt offering.
      • Bible, 1 Kings ii. 28
        Joab […] caught hold on the horns of the altar
  6. (countable) Any of several musical wind instruments.
  7. (countable) An instrument resembling a musical horn and used to signal others.
    hunting horn
  8. (countable) A loud alarm, especially one on a motor vehicle.
  9. (countable) A conical device used to direct waves.
    antenna horn
    loudspeaker horn
  10. (informal, countable) Generally, any brass wind instrument.
  11. (slang, countable, from the horn-shaped earpieces of old communication systems that used air tubes) A telephone.
  12. (uncountable, vulgar, slang, definite article) An erection of the ****.
  13. (countable) A peninsula or crescent-shaped tract of land. "to navigate around the horn."
  14. (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.
  15. (botany) An incurved, tapering and pointed appendage found in the flowers of the milkweed (Asclepias).

Usage notes

Synonyms

  • (growth on the heads of certain animals):
  • (hard substance from which horns are made): keratin
  • (any of several musical wind instruments):
  • (instrument used to signal others):
  • (loud alarm, especially on a motor vehicle): hooter, klaxon
  • (conical device used to direct waves): funnel
  • (informal: generally, any brass wind instrument):
  • (slang: telephone): blower (UK), dog and bone (Cockney rhyming slang), phone
  • (coarse slang: erection): boner (US), hard-on, stiffy

Translations

Verb

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

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

Derived terms

Danish

Noun

horn n (singular definite hornet, plural indefinite horn)

  1. horn

Inflection

References

Faroese

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /hɔtn/
  • Rhymes: -ɔtn

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

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

  • IPA(key): /hɔrtn/
  • Rhymes: -ɔrtn

Noun

horn n ‎(genitive singular horns, nominative plural horn)

  1. horn (of an animal)
  2. corner
  3. angle
  4. (music) horn

Declension

Derived terms

Norwegian Bokmål

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-.

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)

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 n ‎(nominative plural hornas)

  1. horn

Declension

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Middle English: horn, horne

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-. 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 (musical instrument)
  3. corner
  4. angle

Declension

Descendants

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

  • Low German: Hoorn, horn

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

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

Related terms

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), Old Church Slavonic сръна ‎(srŭna, “roedeer”), Hittite [script needed] ‎(surna, “horn”)[script needed], Persian سور ‎(sur), Sanskrit शृङ्ग ‎(śṛṅga, “horn”)).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) enPR: hôn, IPA(key): /hɔːn/
  • (US) enPR: hôrn, IPA(key): /hɔɹn/
  • Rhymes: -ɔː(r)n
  • IPA(key): /horn/

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