French horn

French horn

noun

Definition of FRENCH HORN

: a circular valved brass instrument having a conical bore, a funnel-shaped mouthpiece, and a usual range from B below the bass staff upward for more than three octaves

Illustration of FRENCH HORN

First Known Use of FRENCH HORN

1682

Rhymes with FRENCH HORN

acorn, adorn, airborne, althorn, baseborn, bass horn, bicorne, blackthorn, blue corn, boxthorn, broomcorn, buckthorn, bullhorn, careworn, Christ's-thorn, Dearborn, dehorn, dent corn, earthborn, einkorn, field corn, firethorn, firstborn, flint corn, foghorn, forewarn, forlorn, forworn, freeborn, green corn, greenhorn, hartshorn, hawthorn, highborn, hulled corn, inborn, inkhorn, krummhorn, leghorn, longhorn, lovelorn, lowborn, newborn, outworn, pod corn, popcorn, post horn, pronghorn, ramshorn, reborn, saxhorn, seaborne, self-born, shipborne, shoehorn, shopworn, shorthorn, skyborne, soilborne, stillborn, stinkhorn, suborn, sweet corn, tick-borne, timeworn, tinhorn, toilworn, tricorne, trueborn, twice-born, twinborn, unborn, unworn, wayworn, wellborn, well-worn, wind-borne

French horn

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Orchestral and military brass instrument, a valved circular horn with a wide bell. It is normally a transposing instrument (its music written in a different tone than its actual sound) in F. It has a wide bore and three (sometimes four) rotary valves; its conical mouthpiece produces a mellower tone than the cup-shaped mouthpieces of other brass instruments. Horns long relied on separable crooks—circular lengths of tubing that could be attached and removed rapidly—for music modulating to new keys. Since c. 1900 the standard horn has been a “double” instrument, with built-in crooks in F and B-flat that can be selected rapidly by means of a thumb valve. The modern symphony orchestra usually includes four horns. Though difficult to play and prone to producing conspicuous errors, its tone is widely admired.