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 train’s horn sounded just as brakes were applied and the train cars came to a stop. —Roger Simmons, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Dec. 2024

Shortly after midnight, sheriff’s deputies went door to door and used air horns to wake residents and urge them to leave. —Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024

Yun Zeng, a brilliant young horn player who this year assumed a co-principal position alongside Dohr, delivered a spectral solo that glowed through the murk and then was swallowed up in it. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024

With its explosive blend of Afro-Cuban percussion, horns, and pop melodies, the song became a universal dancefloor favorite. —Walaa Elsiddig, Billboard, 6 Dec. 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

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