Meaning
A hard growth of keratin that protrudes from the top of the head of certain animals, usually paired.
Etymology
Origin: Old English
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ ? Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥h₂nós Proto-Indo-European *-om Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥h₂nóm Proto-Germanic *hurną Proto-West Germanic *horn Old English horn Middle English horn English horn 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. (telephone): From the horn-shaped earpieces of old communication systems that used air tubes.
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 4 recorded puzzles: