Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “horn” come from?

Horn descends from Old English horn, from Proto-West Germanic horn, from Proto-Germanic hurną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱerh₂-.

horn (English): A hard growth of keratin that protrudes from the...

Definitions

  1. A hard growth of keratin that protrudes from the...

Ancestry of “horn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishhornA horn; A jutting or projecting extremity of...
2Old Englishhornhorn; gable
3Proto-West Germanichornhorn
4Proto-Germanichurnąhorn
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱer-to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeankr̥-to turn, to bend
7Proto-Indo-Europeanker-army

Words derived from “horn”

  • horns
  • bighorn
  • pronghorn
  • bullhorn
  • foghorn
  • hartshorn
  • hornbill
  • longhorn
  • shoehorn
  • staghorn
  • hornbook
  • shorthorn
  • hornworm
  • buckhorn
  • hornlike
  • hornwork
  • hornstone
  • tinhorn
  • elkhorn
  • powderhorn
  • saddlehorn
  • hornwort
  • feedhorn
  • hornist
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ker- →