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horn
- Main Entry:
- horn
- Pronunciation:
-
\ˈhȯrn\
- Function:
- noun
- Etymology:
- Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German horn, Latin cornu, Greek keras
- Date:
- before 12th century
1 a: one of the usu. paired bony processes that arise from the head of many ungulates and that are found in some extinct mammals and reptiles: 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 (as claws or nails) (2): a manufactured product (as a plastic) resembling horn e: a hollow horn used to hold something2: something resembling or suggestive of a horn: 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 3 a: an animal's horn used as a wind instrument b: a brass wind instrument: 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 horn4: a source of strength5: one of the equally disadvantageous alternatives presented by a dilemma6slang : telephone
— horn adjective
— horned \ˈhȯrnd also ˈhȯr-nəd\ adjective — horned·ness \ˈhȯr-nəd-nəs, ˈhȯrn(d)-nəs\ noun — horn·less \ˈhȯrn-ləs\ adjective — horn·less·ness noun
— horn·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective
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