unicorn

noun

uni·​corn ˈyü-nə-ˌkȯrn 

plural unicorns

1

a

: a mythical, usually white animal generally depicted with the body and head of a horse with long flowing mane and tail and a single often spiraled horn in the middle of the forehead

b

: an animal mentioned in the Bible that is usually considered an aurochs, a one-horned rhinoceros, or an antelope

2

: something unusual, rare, or unique

There's the elusive unicorn: headphones that do everything well and work in any situation.

—Damon Darlin

In Washington, D.C., truth is now a veritable unicorn.

—Marilyn M. Singleton

… he's like baseball's version of a unicorn—a true two-way player.

—Tony Paul

3

business : a start-up that is valued at one billion dollars or more

… a tech unicorn in Michigan is even more of a rarity, far from Silicon Valley's investor echo chamber.

—Scott Martin

The blockbuster initial public offering is expected to kick off a revitalized market this year, encouraging IPO debuts by other unicorns, the privately held start-ups whose hefty venture capital funds have allowed them to avoid Wall Street and the legal requirements of a public offering.

—Jon Swartz

Illustration of unicorn

Examples of unicorn in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From ogres to faeries to unicorns (oh my!), there is certainly no shortage of mythical creatures popping up around the Spiderwick estate in the newest television adaptation of Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black’s beloved fantasy series. —EW.com, 20 Apr. 2024

Blackbird, one of the biggest and earliest investors in Melanie Perkins's $26 billion unicorn Canva, earned $A800 million (about $515 million) from selling a portion of its shares. —Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024

The Caitlin Clark cards collectors have graded most frequently The number of Clark's cards that collectors have graded in the past year pales in comparison to other sports unicorns such as the NBA's Victor Wembanyama or MLB's Shohei Ohtani. —Caitlin Clark, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024

The instant millionaires and billionaires and unicorns pretty much lived elsewhere. —Leif Wenar, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024

There’s also a rare glimpse into his legendary jewelry pieces–which play with ideas of traditional ceremonial dress and whimsy (pineapples, gingerbread houses and unicorns abound). —Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2024

This means that the lower-tier VCs invest in deals that do not become unicorns. —Dileep Rao, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024

In a clip from A Real Bug's Life, the new Disney+ original series from National Geographic, a young unicorn praying mantis ventures out into the world to find food. —Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 15 Feb. 2024

Under $25 Lego Creator 3-in-1 Magical Unicorn $10 Buy on Kohls.com $10 $10 This 3-in-1 creator set can become three different animals, all with the ability to pose and move: a whimsical unicorn, a seahorse with fins, and a peacock. —Alida Nugent, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English unicorne, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin unicornis, from Latin, having one horn, from uni- + cornu horn — more at horn

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing unicorn

• unicorn plant

Kids Definition

unicorn

noun

uni·​corn ˈyü-nə-ˌkȯ(ə)rn 

: an imaginary animal generally represented with the body and head of a horse and a single horn in the middle of the forehead

Etymology

Middle English unicorne "unicorn," from early French unicorne (same meaning), derived from Latin unicornis "having one horn," from uni- "one" and cornu "horn" — related to corn entry 3, universe

Medical Definition

unicorn

adjective

uni·​corn ˈyü-nə-ˌkȯ(ə)rn 

: having a single horn or hornlike process

a unicorn uterus