horn

Use horn in a sentence

Curled horns on a sheep.

noun

The definition of a horn is a structure coming out of an animal's head, or a beeping device on a vehicle.

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.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"Horn." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Horn.

APA Style

Horn. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Horn

horn

1. a hard, hollow, bony or keratinous, permanent projection that grows on the head of various hoofed animals, esp. bovid ruminants
2. an antler
anything that protrudes naturally from the head of an animal, as one of the tentacles of a snail, a tuft of feathers on certain birds, etc.
[usually pl.] a horn or antler figuratively attributed to a cuckold
1. the hard, smooth, keratinous substance that forms the horns, nails, beaks, hoofs, or shells of various animals
2. any substance like this in appearance, texture, etc.
1. a container made by hollowing out a horn: a powder horn
2. a drink contained in a horn
cornucopia
anything shaped like or suggesting a horn; specif.,
1. a peninsula or cape
2. either end of a crescent
3. the pointed part of an anvil
4. a projection above the pommel of a cowboy's saddle
1. an instrument made of horn and sounded by blowing, as the shofar
2. any brass instrument; specif., French horn
3. Jazz any wind instrument
a device with a kind of blaring sound for signaling or warning
Bible an emblem of glory, strength, or honor
Electronics
1. a horn-shaped speaker
2. a horn-shaped antenna
Geol. a jagged mountain peak resulting from the erosion of several cirques, as the Matterhorn in the Alps

Origin of horn

Middle English from OE, akin to German from Indo-European base an unverified form ?er-, upper part of the body, head from source Classical Latin cornu, Classical Greek keras

to strike, butt, or gore with the horns
to furnish with horns
Archaic to cuckold

made of horn: horn-rimmed glasses

horn Idioms

around the horn

Baseball (thrown) from third base to second to first in trying for a double play

Origin of horn

prob. in allusion to sailing around Cape Horn

blow one's own horn

Informal to praise oneself; boast

horn in (on)

Informal to intrude or meddle (in)

lock horns

to have a disagreement or conflict

on the horns of a dilemma

having to make a choice between two things, both unpleasant

pull in one's horns

to hold oneself back; restrain one's impulses or efforts
to back down; become less dogmatic, positive, zealous, etc.

the horn

Informal the telephone

Horn

cape on an island (Horn Island) in Tierra del Fuego, Chile: southernmost point of South America

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"Horn." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Horn.

APA Style

Horn. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Horn

horn

noun

One of the hard, usually permanent structures projecting from the head of certain mammals, such as cattle, sheep, goats, or antelopes, consisting of a bony core covered with a sheath of keratinous material.
A hard protuberance, such as an antler or projection on the head of a giraffe or rhinoceros, that is similar to or suggestive of a horn.
a. The hard smooth keratinous material forming the outer covering of the horns of cattle or related animals.
b. A natural or synthetic substance resembling this material.
A container, such as a powder horn, made from a horn.
Something having the shape of a horn, especially:
a. A horn of plenty; a cornucopia.
b. Either of the ends of a new moon.
c. The point of an anvil.
d. The pommel of a saddle.
e. An ear trumpet.
f. A device for projecting sound waves, as in a loudspeaker.
g. A hollow, metallic electromagnetic transmission antenna with a circular or rectangular cross section.
Music
a. A wind instrument made of an animal horn.
b. A brass instrument, such as a trombone or tuba.
c. A French horn.
d. A wind instrument, such as a trumpet or saxophone, used in a jazz band.
a. A usually electrical signaling device that produces a loud resonant sound: an automobile horn.
b. Any of various noisemakers operated by blowing or by squeezing a hollow rubber ball.
Slang A telephone.

intransitive verb

horned, horn·ing, horns

To join without being invited; intrude. Used with in.

Origin of horn

Middle English from Old English; see ker-¹ in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

horn
adjective

horn′ist
noun

horn

top: white rhinoceros and bighorn sheep

bottom:western saddle

horn

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"Horn." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Horn.

APA Style

Horn. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Horn

Either of the bony growths projecting from the upper part of the head of certain hoofed mammals, such as cattle, sheep, and goats. The horns of these animals are never shed, and they consist of bone covered by keratin.
A hard growth that looks like a horn, such as an antler or a growth on the head of a giraffe or rhinoceros. Unlike true horns, antlers are shed yearly and have a velvety covering, and the horns of a rhinoceros are made not of bone but of hairy skin fused with keratin.
The hard durable substance that forms the outer covering of true horns. It consists of keratin.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"Horn." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Horn.

APA Style

Horn. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Horn

Noun

(countable and uncountable, plural horns)

(countable) A hard growth of keratin that protrudes from the top of the head of certain animals, usually paired.
Any similar real or imaginary growth or projection such as the elongated tusk of a narwhal, the eyestalk of a snail, the pointed growth on the nose of a rhinoceros, or the hornlike projection on the head of a demon or similar.
An antler.
(uncountable) The hard substance from which animals' horns are made, sometimes used by man as a material for making various objects.
an umbrella with a handle made of horn
An object whose shape resembles a horn, such as cornucopia, the point of an anvil, or a vessel for gunpowder or liquid.
1. The high pommel of a saddle; also, either of the projections on a lady's saddle for supporting the leg.
2. (architecture) The Ionic volute.
3. (nautical) The outer end of a crosstree; also, one of the projections forming the jaws of a gaff, boom, etc.
4. (carpentry) A curved projection on the fore part of a plane.
5. One of the projections at the four corners of the Jewish altar of burnt offering.
(countable) Any of several musical wind instruments.
(countable) An instrument resembling a musical horn and used to signal others.
hunting horn
(countable) A loud alarm, especially one on a motor vehicle.
(countable) A conical device used to direct waves.
antenna horn
loudspeaker horn
(informal, countable) Generally, any brass wind instrument.
(slang, countable, from the horn-shaped earpieces of old communication systems that used air tubes) A telephone.
(uncountable, vulgar, slang, definite article) An erection of the penis.
(countable) A peninsula or crescent-shaped tract of land. "to navigate around the horn."
(countable) A diacritical mark that may be attached to the top right corner of the letters o and u when writing in Vietnamese, thus forming ơ and ư.
(botany) An incurved, tapering and pointed appendage found in the flowers of the milkweed (Asclepias).

Usage notes

When used alone to refer to an instrument, horn can mean either "hunting horn" or "French horn", depending on context. Other instruments are identified by specific adjectives such as "English horn" or "basset horn".

Verb

(third-person singular simple present horns, present participle horning, simple past and past participle horned)

(of an animal) To assault with the horns

Origin

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 , Sanskrit शृङ्ग (ṡṛṅga, “horn”)).

Proper noun

Cape Horn, at the southern tip of South America.
Sailing around the Horn was an arduous journey for sailing ships.
The Horn of Africa, a peninsula of Africa which juts into the Arabian Sea.
The states which occupy this peninsula: Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and Somaliland.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"Horn." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Horn.

APA Style

Horn. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Horn

horn - Medical Definition

One of the hard, usually permanent structures projecting from the head of certain mammals, such as cattle, sheep, goats, or antelopes, consisting of a bony core covered with a sheath of keratinous material.
A hard protuberance, such as an antler or projection on the head of a giraffe or rhinoceros, that is similar to or suggestive of a horn.
1. The hard smooth keratinous material forming the outer covering of the horns of cattle or related animals.
2. A natural or synthetic substance resembling this material.

Related Forms:

horn
adj.

horn′ist
n.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"Horn." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Horn.

APA Style

Horn. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Horn

horn

horn

Horn

horn

horn - Medical Definition

Sentence Examples

Related

Also Mentioned In

WORDS NEAR horn IN THE DICTIONARY

horn

horn

Horn

horn

horn - Medical Definition

Sentence Examples

Related

Also Mentioned In

WORDS NEAR horn IN THE DICTIONARY

Join YourDictionary today