horn

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱer-
2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱerh₂-
3. Proto-Indo-European*ḱr̥h₂nós
4. Proto-Indo-European*ḱr̥h₂nóm
5. Proto-Germanic*hurną
6. Proto-West Germanic*horn
7. Old Englishhorn
8. Middle Englishhorn
9. English todayhorn

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.

Words from the same roots