horn

\ 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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Examples of horn in a Sentence

Noun musketeers carrying their gunpowder in powder horns

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun To find out whether these same genes guide horn growth, Hu and his team genetically tinkered with dung beetles. — Erica Tennenhouse, Science | AAAS, "Dung beetles borrowed wing genes to grow their horns," 21 Nov. 2019 Or take the decorative small brass horns from your childhood Christmas tree and weave them onto a base of vines or greens. — Iris Van Rynbach, courant.com, "Holiday welcome: Creating a distinctive holiday wreath," 19 Nov. 2019 The little girl announces the duo’s arrival to everyone gathered around the dinner table by blowing a horn. — Jen Juneau, PEOPLE.com, "Beloved Annual Christmas Ad for British Department Store Features Too Sweet Little Dragon — Watch," 14 Nov. 2019 Because chevrotains lack horns or antlers, and the fangs are especially long in males, scientists think the males use them to compete for territory and mates. — National Geographic, "Fanged mouse-deer identified after vanishing for a generation," 11 Nov. 2019 Finally, with a horn honk, a security guard opens the gate of our orphanage. — Freep.com, "In 'Finding Chika,' Albom reveals his family's devastating love story," 3 Nov. 2019 The look was topped off with a pink unicorn-horn headband. — Marci Robin, Allure, "Lady Gaga Kept Halloween Going With My Little Pony Makeup and Unicorn Hair," 2 Nov. 2019 In the pic, Gaga is sporting a flowing purple wig, full-body fishnets with white latex undergarments, some furry hooves on her hands and shoes, and a horn-headband, making her the sparkliest unicorn in the room. — Stephen Daw, Billboard, "'Highway Unicorn': See Lady Gaga's Glittery Halloween Costume," 1 Nov. 2019 Here's 90min's breakdown of the game Borussia Dortmund Key Talking Point The tie of the round saw two of the Bundesliga's current top five lock horns for a place in the last 16 of the domestic cup. — SI.com, "Dortmund 2-1 Monchengladbach: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Late Brandt Brace Sends Hosts Through," 30 Oct. 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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Last Updated

26 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Horn.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hornlike?pronunciation&lang=en_us&dir=h&file=horn0005. Accessed 5 December 2019.

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More Definitions for horn

horn

noun

English Language Learners Definition of horn

: one of the hard pointed parts that grows on the head of some animals (such as cattle, goats, or sheep)

: a hard pointed part that grows on the nose of a rhinoceros

: the hard material of which horns are made

See the full definition for horn in the English Language Learners Dictionary

horn

noun

\ ˈhȯrn

Kids Definition of horn

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

2 : the tough material of which horns and hooves are composed The knife handle was made of horn.

3 : a brass musical instrument (as a trumpet or French horn)

4 : a usually electrical device that makes a noise like that of a horn Drivers were blowing their horns.

5 : something shaped like or made from a horn Each soldier carried a horn of powder.

6 : a musical or signaling instrument made from an animal's horn

horn

noun

\ ˈhȯ(ə)rn

Medical Definition of horn

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 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

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