horn

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 adjective • hornedness noun • hornless adjective • hornlessness noun • hornlike adjective