HORN


Meaning of HORN in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈhȯrn ]

noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German horn, Latin cornu, Greek keras

Date: before 12th century

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: 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 (as claws or nails)

(2) : a manufactured product (as a plastic) resembling horn

e. : a hollow horn used to hold something

2. : something resembling or suggestive of a horn: 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: 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

• horned·ness ˈhȯr-nəd-nəs, ˈhȯrn(d)-nəs noun

• horn·less ˈhȯrn-ləs adjective

• horn·less·ness noun

• horn·like -ˌlīk adjective

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.