Horn definition
An example of a horn is what grows out of a ram's head.
An example of a horn is what is on a steering wheel to alert other drivers to danger.
- A horn of plenty; a cornucopia.
- Either of the ends of a new moon.
- The point of an anvil.
- The pommel of a saddle.
- An ear trumpet.
- A device for projecting sound waves, as in a loudspeaker.
- A hollow, metallic electromagnetic transmission antenna with a circular or rectangular cross section.
An automobile horn.
- A peninsula or cape.
- Either end of a crescent.
- The pointed part of an anvil.
- A projection above the pommel of a cowboy's saddle.
A powder horn.
Horn-rimmed glasses.
An umbrella with a handle made of horn.
Hunting horn.
Sailing around the Horn was an arduous journey for sailing ships.
- To brag or boast about oneself.
- To restrain oneself; draw back.
- To retreat from a previously taken position, view, or stance.
- To economize.
- Faced with two equally undesirable alternatives.
- (thrown) from third base to second to first in trying for a double play
- to praise oneself; boast
- to intrude or meddle (in)
- to have a disagreement or conflict
- having to make a choice between two things, both unpleasant
- to hold oneself back; restrain one's impulses or efforts
- to back down; become less dogmatic, positive, zealous, etc.
- the telephone
Other Word Forms
Noun
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
Origin of horn
- Middle English from Old English ker-1 in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Middle English horn, horne, from Old English horn, from Proto-Germanic *hurną (compare West Frisian hoarn, Dutch hoorn, Low German Hoorn, horn, German Horn, Danish and Swedish horn, Gothic (haurn)), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer-, (compare Breton kern (“horn”), Latin cornū, Ancient Greek κέρας (keras), Old Church Slavonic сръна (srŭna, “roedeer”), Hittite [script?] (surna, “horn”)[script?], Persian sur, Sanskrit शृङ्ग (ṡṛṅga, “horn”)).
From Wiktionary