Dictionary:

horn

  (hôrn)

(Click to enlarge)

horn

top: white rhinoceros bottom: American bighorn ram (Elizabeth Morales)

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. A container, such as a powder horn, made from a horn.
5. Something having the shape of a horn, especially:
   1. A horn of plenty; a cornucopia.
   2. Either of the ends of a new moon.
   3. The point of an anvil.
   4. The pommel of a saddle.
   5. An ear trumpet.
   6. A device for projecting sound waves, as in a loudspeaker.
   7. A hollow, metallic electromagnetic transmission antenna with a circular or rectangular cross section.
6. Music.
   1. A wind instrument made of an animal horn.
   2. A brass wind instrument, such as a trombone or tuba.
   3. A French horn.
   4. A wind instrument, such as a trumpet or saxophone, used in a jazz band.
7. 1. A usually electrical signaling device that produces a loud resonant sound: an automobile horn.
   2. Any of various noisemakers operated by blowing or by squeezing a hollow rubber ball.
8. Slang. A telephone.

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

blow (or toot) (one's) own horn Informal.

1. To brag or boast about oneself.

1. To restrain oneself; draw back.
2. To retreat from a previously taken position, view, or stance.
3. To economize.

1. Faced with two equally undesirable alternatives.

[Middle English, from Old English.]

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Idioms beginning with horn:
horn in on

See also blow one's own horn; lock horns; pull in one's horns; take the bull by the horns.

A mountain peak formed when three or four cirques have cut into it, back to back, leaving a pyramidal peak. Examples include the Matterhorn, and Cir Mhòr, on the Isle of Arran.

In popular culture for centuries past, the phrase ‘he wears the horns’ was used to designate a cuckold, and rather than bringing forth sympathy it has been treated as a joke of which people never seem to tire. The metaphor of the horns was so well understood that it could be referred to obliquely by writers—‘Let him dub her husband knight of the forked order’ (1592) and also in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus ((1594) II. iii). An appropriate gesture, with index and little finger extended, thumb and other fingers curled into the palm, was available for insulting people: one story which attempts to account for this explains that the knights who were away on the Crusades used the symbol of the horn as a device on their shields, and a horn therefore came to mean someone who had been away from his wife for a long time. See also Charlton Horn Fair for another alleged cuckoldry connection.

A different kind of symbolism is sketched out by William Andrews (Old Church Lore (1891), 65-79) in the form of ‘charter horns’. He identifies several existing horns which are taken as evidence of ancient land grants or charters, and links these with customs which still have hornblowing elements such as Hungerford Hocktide, and the Ripon hornblower.

See also: ABBOTS BROMLEY HORN DANCE; CHARLTON FAIR; EBERNOE HORN FAIR; HIGHGATE HORNS; RIPON HORNBLOWER; BAINBRIDGE HORNBLOWER; HUNGERFORD HOCKTIDE, WEYHILL FAIR.

Bibliography
The full bibliography list is available here.

• Hazlitt, 1905: 327-8
• Jones, 2002: 68-71

1. Any projecting end of one of the members of a right-angle wood framing joint.
2. The extension of a sash stile below the bottom rail of an upper-hung sash, either for styling or to serve as a stop.
3. A horizontal extension of a windowsill beyond the jamb.
4. Same as spur, 1.
5. A volute, 1.
6. An acroterion, 2.

horn, 1

1. a pointed projection.
2. the processes carried on the foreheads of most ruminants and rhinoceroses including skin-covered bony knobs in giraffes, velvet-covered branched deciduous bony antlers of deer, branched deciduous keratinized processes in pronghorns and the familiar hollow horns of bovids. In these a horny sheath is composed of keratinized epithelial cells borne on a fibrous corium that is carried on a cornual process, an extension of the frontal bone. In mature cattle the cavity of the frontal sinus extends into the cornual process. Called also fighting horns.
Cattle and buffalo horns are classed as shorthorn (short, in-curving), lyre (see lyrate), crescent or sickle (large, inward curving, downward inclined), long (long, handlebar configuration).

• h. aging — telling the age of a cattle beast by counting the rings at the base and adding one. Can give a guide but can also mislead. It is also capable of being faked and even obliterated by rasping or by dehorning.
• h. amputation — see dehorning.
• h. button — immature horn on the frontal bone of very young ruminants. Called also horn bud.
• h. core cancer, h. cancer — is a squamous cell carcinoma of the mucosa of the frontal sinus which invades the horn core usually resulting in dehiscence of the horn. Has a very high prevalence in adult male cattle in India.
• cicatricial h. — a hard, dry outgrowth from a cicatrix, commonly scaly and rarely osseous.
• cutaneous h. — single or multiple firm projections (‘horns’) of keratin on the skin or footpads. They may originate from papillomas, keratoses or various skin tumors, particularly intracutaneous cornifying epithelioma, or in association with dermatophilosis or feline leukemia virus infection.
• dorsal h. of spinal cord — the horn-shaped structure seen in transverse section of the spinal cord, formed by the dorsal column of the cord.
• h. fly — see haematobia irritans.
• h. nerve block — see cornual nerve block.
• overgrown h. — malaligned shorthorn type horns which curve in too far and penetrate the skull, usually into a frontal sinus.
• h. paste — made of hoof raspings mixed with lard. Packed into the clefts beside the bars of the sole in the horse's foot before the taking of a radiograph; avoids the misleading opacities created by the clefts on radiographs. Now usually replaced by Playdo.
• h. pearls — microscopic structures found in some neoplasms of epithelial origin. Called also squamous or keratin pearls.
• sebaceous h. — a hard outgrowth of the contents of a sebaceous cyst.
• h. shears — devices used for removing horns. Most work as a guillotine and provide great leverage for cutting the horns at the base where a rim of skin can be included.
• h. tubule — basic structural element in many horny outgrowths; produced by a dermal papilla, it bears some resemblance to a hair and grows approximately vertical to the dermal surface; it is united by intertubular horn to neighboring tubules.
• ventral h. cell diseases — motor neuron diseases; rare in animals, but hereditary spinal muscular atrophy of Brittany spaniels is an example.
• ventral h. of spinal cord — the horn-shaped structure seen in transverse section of the spinal cord, formed by the ventral column of the cord.
• warty h. — a hard, pointed outgrowth of a wart.

(DOD, NATO) In naval mine warfare, a projection from the mine shell of some contact mines which, when broken or bent by contact, causes the mine to fire.

A goat with unusual horns

Highland cow, a very old long-horned breed from Scotland.

A horn is a living, vein and artery filled, pointed projection of the skin of various animals, consisting mainly of keratin as well as other proteins. True horns are found only among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae (pronghorn) and Bovidae (cows, buffalo, yaks, goats, antelope etc.). Those animals have one or two pairs of horns, which usually have a spiral shape.

The term is popularly applied also to any hard and pointed elements attached to the head of animals in various other families:

• Giraffidae: Giraffes have bony bumps covered with furred skin which look like they ought to have horns on them, but do not.
• Cervidae: Deer have antlers, which are not true horns. Made of bone, they are shed and regrown each year.
• Rhinocerotidae: The "horns" of the Rhinoceros are made of keratin and are not, as many believe, actually compacted hair[1].
• Ceratopsidae: The "horns" of the Triceratops were extensions of its skull bones although debate exists over whether they had a keratin covering.
• Monodontidae: Narwhals have a single long tusk, a modified tooth, which looks like a horn, and is spiralled like that of the fictional unicorn.

Many animal species in various families have tusks, which often serve the same functions as true horns, but are in fact oversize teeth. These include the Moschidae (Musk deer, which are ruminants), Suidae (Wild Boars), Proboscidea (Elephants), Monodontidae (Narwhals) and Odobenidae (Walruses).

Humans with horns

There is only one recorded case of a human with a horn. A 95 year old woman from Zhanjiang, south China, has sprouted a 12 centimetre long horn on her forehead. The horn first grew in 2003 and has grown progressively bigger and bigger, taking over the woman's face. Doctors are baffled by the protrusion - and can only speculate that Xiou Ling is suffering a hormone imbalance. Her family are currently saving up for treatment to remove it. [2].

Animal uses of horns

Wildlife have a variety of uses for horns and antlers, including fighting attacking predators and fighting members of their own species for territory, dominance and mating priority. In addition, horns may be used to root in the soil or strip bark from trees. In animal courtship there are specific species that use horns in displays of attraction. For example, the male Blue Wildebeest reams the bark and branches of trees to impress the female and lure her into his territory. Horns are also used by some animals with true horns to provide cooling. Since horns are an extension of the skin, they have blood vessels in them, allowing the horns to function as a radiator to cool the blood.

Human uses of horns

Use of animal horns is controversial, especially if the animal was specifically hunted for the horn as a hunting trophy or object of decoration or utility. Some animals are threatened or endangered to reduced populations partially from pressures of such hunting.

Some peoples use bovid horns as musical instruments, for example the shofar. These have evolved into brass instruments in which, unlike the trumpet, the bore gradually increases in width through most of its length — that is to say, it is conical rather than cylindrical. These are called horns, though made of metal.

Drinking horns are bovid horns cleaned and polished and used as drinking vessels. (See also the legend of the Horn of plenty, or Cornucopia).

Powder horns were originally bovid horns fitted with lids and carrying straps, used to carry gunpowder. Powder flasks of any material may be referred to as powder horns.

Horn bows Horn bows are bows made from combination horn, sinew and usually wood. These material allow more energy to be stored in a short bow than wood.

Antelope horns are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Horn can also refer to keratin, the material of which a horn is made. This is most common when a horn is used as a material in tools, furniture, decoration, and other uses. In these applications, horn is valued for its hardness, and has given rise to the expression hard as horn.

Ivory comes from the teeth of animals, not horns.

"Horn" buttons are usually made from deer antlers, not true horn.

See also

• horn (disambiguation page)
• horn (instrument)
• horned helmet

External links

• A site with information about the history of the cow horn as a musical instrument.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - horn, gevir, hornblæser, spids, advarselshorn
v. intr. - stange, trænge sig på, blande sig i, blæse i horn

idioms:

• horn in    trænge sig på
• horn of plenty    overflødighedshorn
• on the horns of a dilemma    i et dilemma

Nederlands (Dutch)
hoorn, claxon, hoornvlies, koperen blaasinstrument, waldhoorn, spits van maansikkel, hoekrotsen, gewei, misthoorn, riviervertakking, erectie, hoornen, hoornachtig, voorzien van een hoorn, hoornvorm geven aan, op de horens nemen, af-/ bijzagen van horens, zich ermee bemoeien

Français (French)
n. - (Zool) corne, aigrette (d'un hibou), (fig) corne, corne (du diable), (Mus) cor, klaxon, avertisseur, sirène, corne (la substance), corne (pour boire)
v. intr. - intervenir

idioms:

• horn in    (US) mettre son grain de sel
• horn of plenty    corne d'abondance
• on the horn    (US) téléphoner (à)
• on the horns of a dilemma    être pris dans un dilemme

Deutsch (German)
n. - Horn, Geweih, Hupe
v. - mit Hörnern aufspießen

idioms:

• horn in    sich einmischen
• horn of plenty    Füllhorn
• on the horn    vor einem Dilemma stehen
• on the horns of a dilemma    vor einem Problem stehen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - κέρας, κέρατο, κεραία (εντόμου), κόρνα, κλάξον, (μουσ.) κέρας, κόρνο, τρομπαρίνα
v. - βγάζω κέρατα, κερατίζω, κουτρώ

idioms:

• horn in    παρεμβαίνω
• horn of plenty    το κέρας της Αμάλθειας
• on the horns of a dilemma    προ διλήμματος

Italiano (Italian)
corno francese, corna, clacson, corno, di corno, scornare, ferire con le corna

idioms:

• horn in    intromettersi
• horn of plenty    cornucopia
• lock horns    scornarsi, litigare
• on the horns of a dilemma    essere di fronte a un dilemma
• pull/draw in one's horns    tirarsi indietro

Português (Portuguese)
n. - chifre (m), corneta (f) (Mús.)
v. - chifrar, cornear

idioms:

• horn in    intrometer-se (gír.)
• horn of plenty    cornucópia (f)
• lock horns    entrar em desacordo
• on the horns of a dilemma    entre a cruz e a caldeirinha (coloq.)
• pull/draw in one's horns    conter-se

Русский (Russian)
рог, рожок, бодать, выгибать

idioms:

• horn in    наставить рога, украшать рогами, роговой, сделанный из рога
• horn of plenty    рог изобилия
• lock horns    вступить в борьбу
• on the horns of a dilemma    между двух огней, перед неприятным выбором
• pull/draw in one's horns    пойти на попятный

Español (Spanish)
n. - trompa, cuerno, asta, claxon, bocina, de cuerno
v. intr. - cornear, (jer) meter los cuernos

idioms:

• horn in    entrometerse
• horn of plenty    cuerno de la abundancia, cornucopia
• on the horn    en el teléfono
• on the horns of a dilemma    estar entre la espada y la pared

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - horn (äv. mus.), signalhorn, lur, spets (på månskära), antenn (äv. insekts), flodgren, ståkuk (vulg.), telefon, megafon
v. - sätta horn på, stånga

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
角, 喇叭, 角质, 吹喇叭

idioms:

• horn in    闯入
• horn of plenty    丰饶角, 圆锥形的容器, 丰饶的象征
• on the horns of a dilemma    进退两难

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 角, 喇叭, 角質
v. intr. - 吹喇叭

idioms:

• horn in    闖入
• horn of plenty    豐饒角, 圓錐形的容器, 豐饒的象徵
• on the horns of a dilemma    進退兩難

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 지각, 뿔, 촉각, 경적
v. intr. - 간섭하다

idioms:

• horn in    끼어 들다, 간섭하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 角, 触角, 角製の物, 角笛, 警笛, ホルン, 角製の容器
v. - 角で突く, 角を付ける

idioms:

• horn in    干渉する
• horn of plenty    豊饒の角, 円錐形の飾り
• pull/draw in one's horns    支出を抑える, 二の足を踏む

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) قرن, المادة القرينه للاظلاف والحوافر والاظافر, شئ كالقرن أحد طرفي الهلال ألخ, بوق أو صور, النفير لاطلاق اشارة تحذير, قوة, سلطه, مجد, اعتبار (فعل) يتطفل, يشارك في أمر من غير دعوة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮קצה סהר, צופר, קרן, שופר, חומר קרני, טלפון (מדוברת, ארה"ב), זרוע של נהר או מפרץ, קרן צרפתית (כלי נשיפה), סימן‬
v. intr. - ‮תקע בקרן, התערב, תחב אפו‬

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