horn

noun

\ ˈhȯrn

Definition of horn

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : one of the usually paired bony processes that arise from the head of many ungulates and that are found in some extinct mammals and reptiles: such as

(1) : one of the permanent paired hollow sheaths of keratin usually present in both sexes of cattle and their relatives that function chiefly for defense and arise from a bony core anchored to the skull — see cow illustration

(2) : antler

(3) : a permanent solid horn of keratin that is attached to the nasal bone of a rhinoceros

(4) : one of a pair of permanent bone protuberances from the skull of a giraffe or okapi that are covered with hairy skin

b : a part like an animal's horn attributed especially to the devil

c : a natural projection or excrescence from an animal resembling or suggestive of a horn

d(1) : the tough fibrous material consisting chiefly of keratin that covers or forms the horns of cattle and related animals, hooves, or other horny parts (such as claws or nails)

(2) : a manufactured product (such as a plastic) resembling horn

e : a hollow horn used to hold something

2 : something resembling or suggestive of a horn: such as

a : one of the curved ends of a crescent

b : a sharp mountain peak

c : a body of land or water shaped like a horn

d : a beak-shaped part of an anvil

e : a high pommel of a saddle

f : cornu

3a : an animal's horn used as a wind instrument

b : a brass wind instrument: such as

(1) : hunting horn

(2) : french horn

c : a wind instrument used in a jazz band especially : trumpet

d : a usually electrical device that makes a noise like that of a horn

4 : a source of strength

5 : one of the equally disadvantageous alternatives presented by a dilemma

6 slang : telephone

Horn

geographical name

\ ˈhȯrn

variants: or North Cape

Definition of Horn (Entry 2 of 2)

cape just south of the Arctic Circle in northwestern Iceland

Other Words from horn Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about horn

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Other Words from horn

Noun

horn adjective

horned \ ˈhȯrnd

also ˈhȯr-nəd \ adjective

hornedness \ ˈhȯr-nəd-nəs

, ˈhȯrn(d)-nəs \ noun

hornless \ ˈhȯrn-ləs

\ adjective

hornlessness noun

hornlike \ ˈhȯrn-ˌlīk

\ adjective

Examples of horn in a Sentence

Noun

musketeers carrying their gunpowder in powder horns

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

At the end of the round, Cormier clobbered Miocic with a series of unanswered shots, as the horn likely saved Miocic from an early shower. — Manouk Akopyan, Los Angeles Times, "UFC 241: Stipe Miocic knocks out Daniel Cormier to regain heavyweight belt," 17 Aug. 2019 Munchkin made the rounds on social media Wednesday after his owner Helen Cuellar posted a video of the impatient pup honking the car horn at her to take him to the dog park. — Rebecca Hennes, Houston Chronicle, "Viral video shows Munchkin the dog honking car horn at his owner to take him to the park," 9 Aug. 2019 Instead, Tesla dug into the NHTSA's data and spotted an opportunity to further toot its own horn. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Feds told Tesla to stop making “misleading statements” on Model 3 safety," 7 Aug. 2019 But Greene, never one to toot his own horn, had more pressing business: His best friend in the bullpen, righty Joe Jimenez, was shaken up. — Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press, "Here's who will represent the Detroit Tigers in the 2019 All-Star Game in Cleveland," 30 June 2019 First up, wide receiver Jaelen Strong locked horns with a Colts player. — Dan Labbe, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Browns joint practice report: Things get heated as fights break out," 15 Aug. 2019 The pair locked horns twice in February, Die Roten winning the first encounter as Kingsley Coman's extra-time header settled a DFB Pokal thriller. — SI.com, "Bayern Munich vs Hertha Berlin Preview: Where to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News," 13 Aug. 2019 This won’t be the first time Apple and Facebook lock horns over their approaches to privacy and customer protections. — Anna Washenko, Ars Technica, "iOS 13 privacy feature will force total overhaul for Facebook apps," 6 Aug. 2019 Due largely to poaching for their horns, the western black rhino was declared extinct in 2011. — Liz Langley, National Geographic, "What are Africa’s Big Five? Meet the continent’s most iconic wildlife," 26 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'horn.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for horn

Noun

Middle English, going back to Old English, going back to Germanic *hurna- (whence also Old Frisian, Old High German & Old Norse horn "horn," Gothic haurn), going back to Indo-European *ḱr̥-n-o, perhaps originally "object made of bony material from the head" (whence also Latin cornum, cornū "horn," Welsh carn "hoof, hilt, handle," Breton karn "hoof," and, with an additional velar suffix, Sanskrit śŕ̥ṅgam "horn"), derivative of a base *ḱer-, elsewhere with laryngeal element *ḱer-h₂- "bony material constituting the skull or horns" — more at kerato-

Note: Also in Germanic *her-uta- "stag, hart, deer"—see hart. The Latin u-stem cornū perhaps reflects an earlier *korū̆ merged with *korno- (see Alan Nussbaum, Head and Horn in Indo-European, Berlin, 1986, p. 4).

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horn

noun

horn

Definition of horn

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Synonyms for horn

Examples of horn in a Sentence

First Known Use of horn

History and Etymology for horn

horn

Definition of horn

Other Words from horn

Synonyms for horn

Examples of horn in a Sentence

First Known Use of horn

History and Etymology for horn

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