*horn*

n. [ Alt + horn. ] (Mus.) An instrument of the saxhorn family, used exclusively in military music, often replacing the French horn. Grove. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 the type genus of the Atrichornithidae.
Syn. -- genus Atrichornis. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a antural family comprising the scrubbirds.
Syn. -- family Atrichornithidae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

[ See Basset, a. ] (Mus.) An instrument blown with a reed, and resembling a clarinet, but of much greater compass, embracing nearly four octaves; The corno di bassetto. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Mus.) A modification of the bassoon, much deeper in tone. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The Rocky Mountain sheep (Ovis montana or Caprovis montana); called also bighorn sheep. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) (a) A spreading thorny shrub or small tree (Prunus spinosa), with blackish bark, and bearing little black plums, which are called sloes; the sloe. (b) A species of Cratægus or hawthorn (Cratægus tomentosa). Both are used for hedges. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Lycium, esp. Lycium barbarum. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having horns spreading widely. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A plant with leaves branched somewhat like a buck's horn (Plantago Coronopus); also, Lobelia coronopifolia. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A genus (Rhamnus) of shrubs or trees. The shorter branches of some species terminate in long spines or thorns. See Rhamnus. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sea buckthorn, a plant of the genus Hippophaë. [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A bugle. [ 1913 Webster ]

One blast upon his bugle horn
Were worth a thousand men. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A drinking vessel made of horn. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

And drinketh of his bugle horn the wine. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a portable loudspeaker with built-in microphone and amplifier.
Syn. -- loud-hailer. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Zool.) The common European starfish (Asterias rubens). [ 1913 Webster ]

(Bot.) The buckthorn (Rhamnus Purshiana) of the Pacific coast of the United States, which yields cascara sagrada. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. (Bot.) One of several prickly or thorny shrubs found in Palestine, especially the Paliurus aculeatus, Zizyphus Spina-Christi, and Zizyphus vulgaris. The last bears the fruit called jujube, and may be considered to have been the most readily obtainable for the Crown of Thorns. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From its inventor, Baron Coehorn. ] (Mil.) A small bronze mortar mounted on a wooden block with handles, and light enough to be carried short distances by two men. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Mil.) See Coehorn. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Dehorned p. pr. & vb. n. Dehorning. ] To deprive of horns; to prevent the growth of the horns of (cattle) by burning their ends soon after they start. See Dishorn. “Dehorning cattle.” Farm Journal (1886). [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To deprive of horns; as, to dishorn cattle. “Dishorn the spirit.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ from German flügelhorn. ] A brass instrument resembling a cornet but with a wider bore.
Syn. -- flugelhorn, flügelhorn. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

[ from German flügelhorn. ] n. A brass wind instrument resembling a cornet but with a wider bore, and having three valves.
Syn. -- fluegelhorn. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A horn that emits a loud low-pitched sound, used on ships navigating in a fog, to warn other ships of their presence.
Syn. -- fog signal. [ PJC ]

n. [ G., prop., chamois horn. ] (Mus.) An organ stop with conical tin pipes. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Bot.) A variety of the common hawthorn. Loudon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A raw, inexperienced person; one easily imposed upon. W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The horn or antler of the hart, or male red deer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Spirits of hartshorn (see below); volatile salts. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hartshorn plantain (Bot.), an annual species of plantain (Plantago Coronopus); -- called also buck's-horn. Booth. --
Hartshorn shavings, originally taken from the horns of harts, are now obtained chiefly by planing down the bones of calves. They afford a kind of jelly. Hebert. --
Salt of hartshorn (Chem.), an impure solid carbonate of ammonia, obtained by the destructive distillation of hartshorn, or any kind of bone; volatile salts. Brande & C.--
Spirits of hartshorn (Chem.), a solution of ammonia in water; -- so called because formerly obtained from hartshorn shavings by destructive distillation. Similar ammoniacal solutions from other sources have received the same name. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. hagaþorn, hægþorn. See Haw a hedge, and Thorn. ] (Bot.) A thorny shrub or tree (the Crataegus oxyacantha), having deeply lobed, shining leaves, small, roselike, fragrant flowers, and a fruit called haw. It is much used in Europe for hedges, and for standards in gardens. The American hawthorn is Crataegus cordata, which has the leaves but little lobed. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gives not the hawthorn bush a sweeter shade
To shepherds? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Hawthorn. R. Scot. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Having permanent horns with a bony core, as cattle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. horn; akin to D. horen, hoorn, G., Icel., Sw., & Dan. horn, Goth. haúrn, W., Gael., & Ir. corn, L. cornu, Gr. ke`ras, and perh. also to E. cheer, cranium, cerebral; cf. Skr. çiras head. Cf. Carat, Corn on the foot, Cornea, Corner, Cornet, Cornucopia, Hart. ] 1. A hard, projecting, and usually pointed organ, growing upon the heads of certain animals, esp. of the ruminants, as cattle, goats, and the like. The hollow horns of the Ox family consist externally of true horn, and are never shed. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The antler of a deer, which is of bone throughout, and annually shed and renewed. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Zool.) Any natural projection or excrescence from an animal, resembling or thought to resemble a horn in substance or form; esp.: (a) A projection from the beak of a bird, as in the hornbill. (b) A tuft of feathers on the head of a bird, as in the horned owl. (c) A hornlike projection from the head or thorax of an insect, or the head of a reptile, or fish. (d) A sharp spine in front of the fins of a fish, as in the horned pout. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Bot.) An incurved, tapering and pointed appendage found in the flowers of the milkweed (Asclepias). [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Something made of a horn, or in resemblance of a horn; as: (a) A wind instrument of music; originally, one made of a horn (of an ox or a ram); now applied to various elaborately wrought instruments of brass or other metal, resembling a horn in shape. “Wind his horn under the castle wall.” Spenser. See French horn, under French. (b) A drinking cup, or beaker, as having been originally made of the horns of cattle. “Horns of mead and ale.” Mason. (c) The cornucopia, or horn of plenty. See Cornucopia. “Fruits and flowers from Amalthæa's horn.” Milton. (d) A vessel made of a horn; esp., one designed for containing powder; anciently, a small vessel for carrying liquids. “Samuel took the hornof oil and anointed him [ David ].” 1 Sam. xvi. 13. (e) The pointed beak of an anvil. (f) The high pommel of a saddle; also, either of the projections on a lady's saddle for supporting the leg. (g) (Arch.) The Ionic volute. (h) (Naut.) The outer end of a crosstree; also, one of the projections forming the jaws of a gaff, boom, etc. (i) (Carp.) A curved projection on the fore part of a plane. (j) One of the projections at the four corners of the Jewish altar of burnt offering. “Joab . . . caught hold on the horns of the altar.” 1 Kings ii. 28. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. One of the curved ends of a crescent; esp., an extremity or cusp of the moon when crescent-shaped. [ 1913 Webster ]

The moon
Wears a wan circle round her blunted horns. Thomson. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. (Mil.) The curving extremity of the wing of an army or of a squadron drawn up in a crescentlike form. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sharpening in mooned horns
Their phalanx. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. The tough, fibrous material of which true horns are composed, being, in the Ox family, chiefly albuminous, with some phosphate of lime; also, any similar substance, as that which forms the hoof crust of horses, sheep, and cattle; as, a spoon of horn. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. (Script.) A symbol of strength, power, glory, exaltation, or pride. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Lord is . . . the horn of my salvation. Ps. xviii. 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. An emblem of a cuckold; -- used chiefly in the plural. “Thicker than a cuckold's horn.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

11. the telephone; as, on the horn. [ slang ] [ PJC ]

12. a body of water shaped like a horn; as, the Golden Horn in Istanbul. [ PJC ]

Horn block, the frame or pedestal in which a railway car axle box slides up and down; -- also called horn plate. --
Horn of a dilemma. See under Dilemma. --
Horn distemper, a disease of cattle, affecting the internal substance of the horn. --
Horn drum, a wheel with long curved scoops, for raising water. --
Horn lead (Chem.), chloride of lead. --
Horn maker, a maker of cuckolds. [ Obs. ] Shak. --
Horn mercury. (Min.) Same as Horn quicksilver (below). --
Horn poppy (Bot.), a plant allied to the poppy (Glaucium luteum), found on the sandy shores of Great Britain and Virginia; -- called also horned poppy. Gray. --
Horn pox (Med.), abortive smallpox with an eruption like that of chicken pox. --
Horn quicksilver (Min.), native calomel, or bichloride of mercury. --
Horn shell (Zool.), any long, sharp, spiral, gastropod shell, of the genus Cerithium, and allied genera. --
Horn silver (Min.), cerargyrite. --
Horn slate, a gray, siliceous stone. --
To pull in one's horns,
To haul in one's horns, to withdraw some arrogant pretension; to cease a demand or withdraw an assertion. [ Colloq. ] --
To raise the horn, or
To lift the horn (Script.), to exalt one's self; to act arrogantly. “'Gainst them that raised thee dost thou lift thy horn?” Milton. --
To take a horn, to take a drink of intoxicating liquor. [ Low ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To furnish with horns; to give the shape of a horn to. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To cause to wear horns; to cuckold. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A fish. See Hornfish. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Beam. ] (Bot.) A tree of the genus Carpinus (Carpinus Americana), having a smooth gray bark and a ridged trunk, the wood being white and very hard. It is common along the banks of streams in the United States, and is also called ironwood. The English hornbeam is Carpinus Betulus. The American is called also blue beech and water beech. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hop hornbeam. (Bot.) See under Hop. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) Any bird of the family Bucerotidæ, of which about sixty species are known, belonging to numerous genera. They inhabit the tropical parts of Asia, Africa, and the East Indies, and are remarkable for having a more or less horn-like protuberance, which is usually large and hollow and is situated on the upper side of the beak. The size of the hornbill varies from that of a pigeon to that of a raven, or even larger. They feed chiefly upon fruit, but some species eat dead animals. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ G., fr. horn horn + blende blende. ] (Min.) The common black, or dark green or brown, variety of amphibole. (See Amphibole.) It belongs to the aluminous division of the species, and is also characterized by its containing considerable iron. Also used as a general term to include the whole species. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hornblende schist (Geol.), a hornblende rock of schistose structure. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Composed largely of hornblende; resembling or relating to hornblende. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. hornblāwere. ] One who, or that which, blows a horn. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The first book for children, or that from which in former times they learned their letters and rudiments; -- so called because a sheet of horn covered the small, thin board of oak, or the slip of paper, on which the alphabet, digits, and often the Lord's Prayer, were written or printed; a primer. “He teaches boys the hornbook.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A book containing the rudiments of any science or branch of knowledge; a manual; a handbook. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) A large nocturnal beetle of the genus Lucanus (as Lucanus capreolus, and Lucanus dama), having long, curved upper jaws, resembling a sickle. The grubs are found in the trunks of old trees. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Furnished with a horn or horns; furnished with a hornlike process or appendage; as, horned cattle; having some part shaped like a horn. [ 1913 Webster ]

The horned moon with one bright star
Within the nether tip. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

Horned bee (Zool.), a British wild bee (Osmia bicornis), having two little horns on the head. --
Horned dace (Zool.), an American cyprinoid fish (Semotilus corporialis) common in brooks and ponds; the common chub. See Illust. of Chub. --
Horned frog (Zool.), a very large Brazilian frog (Ceratophrys cornuta), having a pair of triangular horns arising from the eyelids. --
Horned grebe (Zool.), a species of grebe (Colymbus auritus), of Arctic Europe and America, having two dense tufts of feathers on the head. --
Horned horse (Zool.), the gnu. --
Horned lark (Zool.), the shore lark. --
Horned lizard (Zool.), the horned toad. --
Horned owl (Zool.), a large North American owl (Bubo Virginianus), having a pair of elongated tufts of feathers on the head. Several distinct varieties are known; as, the Arctic, Western, dusky, and striped horned owls, differing in color, and inhabiting different regions; -- called also great horned owl, horn owl, eagle owl, and cat owl. Sometimes also applied to the long-eared owl. See Eared owl, under Eared. --
Horned poppy. (Bot.) See Horn poppy, under Horn. --
Horned pout (Zool.), an American fresh-water siluroid fish; the bullpout. --
Horned rattler (Zool.), a species of rattlesnake (Crotalus cerastes), inhabiting the dry, sandy plains, from California to Mexico. It has a pair of triangular horns between the eyes; -- called also sidewinder. --
Horned ray (Zool.), the sea devil. --
Horned screamer (Zool.), the kamichi. --
Horned snake (Zool.), the cerastes. --
Horned toad (Zool.), any lizard of the genus Phrynosoma, of which nine or ten species are known. These lizards have several hornlike spines on the head, and a broad, flat body, covered with spiny scales. They inhabit the dry, sandy plains from California to Mexico and Texas. Called also horned lizard. --
Horned viper. (Zool.) See Cerastes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The condition of being horned. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The European sand eel. [ Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A genus of Devonian fossil plants considered one of the earliest forms of vascular land plants; it is similar to genus Rhynia but smaller.
Syn. -- genus Horneophyton. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. One who works or deal in horn or horns. [ R. ] Grew. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who winds or blows the horn. [ Obs. ] Sherwood. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. One who horns or cuckolds. [ Obs. ] Massinger. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Zool.) The British sand lance or sand eel (Ammodytes lanceolatus). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. hyrnet; akin to OHG. hornaz, hornuz, G. horniss; perh. akin to E. horn, and named from the sound it makes as if blowing the horn; but more prob. akin to D. horzel, Lith. szirszone, L. crabo. ] (Zool.) A large, strong wasp. The European species (Vespa crabro) is of a dark brown and yellow color. It is very pugnacious, and its sting is very severe. Its nest is constructed of a paperlike material, and the layers of comb are hung together by columns. The American white-faced hornet (Vespa maculata) is larger and has similar habits. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hornet fly (Zool.), any dipterous insect of the genus Asilus, and allied genera, of which there are numerous species. They are large and fierce flies which capture bees and other insects, often larger than themselves, and suck their blood. Called also hawk fly, robber fly. --
To stir up a hornet's nest, to provoke the attack of a swarm of spiteful enemies or spirited critics. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. hornfisc. ] (Zool.) The garfish or sea needle. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having hoofs; hoofed. [ 1913 Webster ]