Meanings
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1
noun
A hard pointed growth on the head of some animals, such as cows or goats.
The bull lowered its head and showed its horns.
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2
noun
A device on a vehicle that makes a loud warning sound.
The driver pressed the horn when the cyclist swerved.
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3
noun
A brass musical instrument that you blow into.
He played the horn in the school orchestra.
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4
noun
The hard substance that animal horns are made of, used to make objects.
The umbrella had a handle made of horn.
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5
verb
To stab or pierce with a horn.
The angry rhino horned the explorer.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English horn, horne, from Old English horn, from Proto-West Germanic *horn, from Proto-Germanic *hurną. Compare West Frisian hoarn, Dutch hoorn, Low German Hoorn, horn, German Horn, Danish and Swedish horn, Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽 (haurn). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥h₂-nó-m, from *ḱerh₂- (“head, horn”). Compare Breton kern (“horn”), Latin cornū, Ancient Greek κέρας (kéras), Proto-Slavic *sьrna, Old Church Slavonic сьрна (sĭrna, “roedeer”), Hittite [script needed] (surna, “horn”), Persian سر (sar), Sanskrit शृङ्ग (śṛṅga, “horn”). Doublet of corn (“callus”), corno, and cornu. (tele…