horn

noun

ˈhȯrn 

plural horns

1

a

: 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

3

a

: 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 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

Synonyms

• cornet
• cornucopia

Examples of horn in a Sentence

musketeers carrying their gunpowder in powder horns

Recent Examples on the Web

The group, which formed in Anaheim, California in 1986, embraced its ska aesthetic, right down to the dance moves, horns and fashion choices. —Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 14 Apr. 2024

In midtown Manhattan, traffic grew louder as motorists blared their horns on shuddering streets. —Jennifer Peltz, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2024

Oubre also jumped into the mix, pointing at each official before being pulled away after the final horn. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024

The collection consists of 14 styles (10 sunglasses and 4 optical) for men and women, which range in price from $643 for a pair of acetate frames to $2,700 for a set made from natural horn. —Max Berlinger, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024

In France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy and Greece, farmers have blared horns and in some cases dumped manure at government buildings in a bid to put their plea for reforms at the forefront of the E.U. parliamentary elections to be held in June. —Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 21 Mar. 2024

At the Gurdwara Bradshaw Sacramento, the trucks are gearing up to get on the road, horns are honking and music is blasting from loudspeakers. —Sandhya Dirks, NPR, 30 Mar. 2024

One of the creatures spat out by the Earth in self-defense against us careless people is Battra, a dark version of Mothra with a kick-ass lightning bolt pattern on its wings and a horn that shoots electricity. —Katie Rife, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024

The nocturnal birds have tufts on their heads that look like horns or ears. —Helena Wegner, Sacramento Bee, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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).

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing horn

• blow one's own horn
• horn fly
• horn-mad
• saddle horn
• toot one's own horn
• the horn
• French horn
• bass horn
• on the horn
• horn-rimmed glasses
• horn in
• hunting horn
• horn of plenty
• English horn
• post horn
• horn-rims
• powder horn
• got on the horn

Kids Definition

horn

noun

ˈhȯ(ə)rn 

1

: one of the hard bony growths on the head of many hoofed animals (as cattle, goats, or sheep)

2

: a part like an animal's horn

3

: the material of which horns are composed or a similar material

4

: a hollow horn used to hold something

powder horn

5

: something resembling a horn

saddle horn

horns of the crescent moon

6

a

: a brass wind instrument (as a trumpet or French horn)

b

: a device that makes a noise like that of a horn

an automobile horn

horned

ˈhȯ(ə)rnd 

adjective

hornless

ˈhȯ(ə)rn-ləs 

adjective

hornlike

-ˌlīk 

adjective

Medical Definition

horn

noun

ˈhȯ(ə)rn 

1

a

: 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

especially : 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

b

: 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

: cornu

horned

ˈhȯ(ə)rnd 

adjective

Geographical Definition

Horn

geographical name

ˈhȯrn 

variants or North Cape

cape just south of the Arctic Circle in northwestern Iceland