war-horn

noun

A blowing horn blown (especially by Vikings and other Germanic peoples) to warn others of an impending battle, and call them to it, or to signal its commencement.

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Meanings

nounwar-horn (plural war-horns)

plural war-horns · alternative warhorn · alternative war horn

  1. historicalA blowing horn blown (especially by Vikings and other Germanic peoples) to warn others of an impending battle, and call them to it, or to signal its commencement.

    From time to time they blew their war horns.

    1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 35

Origin

From war + horn.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

war-horn. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/war-horn

MLA

“war-horn.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/war-horn. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “war-horn,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/war-horn.

Source: war-horn on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.