hartshorn

H4A1R1T1S1H4O1R1N1
UK/ˈhɑːtshɔːn/

noun

The antler of a hart, once used as a source of ammonia.

OriginEnglish horn ← Middle English horn ← Old English horn →
UncommonScrabble 15
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Meanings

hartshorn1

nounhartshorn (countable and uncountable, plural hartshorns)

plural hartshorns

  1. countableThe antler of a hart, once used as a source of ammonia.
  2. countabledateduncountableAn aqueous solution of ammonia; smelling salts.

    Lady Teazle seeing Sir Peter in such Danger—ran out of the Room in strong Hysterics—and Charles after her calling out for Hartshorn and Water!

    1777, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal, V.ii
    1 more example

    Sophia, who had tottered along with much difficulty, sunk down in her chair; but by the assistance of hartshorn and water, she was prevented from fainting away...

    1749, Henry Fielding, chapter XIV, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book IV
verbhartshorn (third-person singular simple present hartshorns, present participle hartshorning, simple past and past participle hartshorned)

present singular third person hartshorns · participle present hartshorning · participle past hartshorned · past hartshorned

  1. transitiveTo revive with hartshorn smelling salts.

    Accordingly, after a vast amount of moaning and crying up-stairs, and much damping of foreheads, and vinegaring of temples, and hartshorning of noses, and so forth […]

    1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 19.”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume III, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC

Hartshorn2

proper nounHartshorn (plural Hartshorns)

plural Hartshorns

  1. A surname.

Origin

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

From hart + -s- + horn.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian еленов рог, амонячна сода
  • еленов рог (elenov rog)the antler of a hart
  • амонячна сода (amonjačna soda)An aqueous solution of ammonia
Norwegian Bokmål hjortetakksalt
  • hjortetakksaltAn aqueous solution of ammonia
Polish róg jelenia, woda amoniakalna
  • róg jeleniathe antler of a hart
  • woda amoniakalnaAn aqueous solution of ammonia
Swedish hjorthorn, hjorthornssalt
  • hjorthornthe antler of a hart
  • hjorthornssaltAn aqueous solution of ammonia
Cite this entry
APA

hartshorn. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hartshorn

MLA

“hartshorn.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hartshorn. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hartshorn,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hartshorn.

Source: hartshorn on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.