horned
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
having horns on the head.
possessing horns or horn-like anatomical structures.
Simple“The horned owl sat quietly in the tree watching for mice.”
In context“The museum displayed several horned skulls from ancient cattle breeds that are now extinct in the region.”
UsageUsually placed before the noun it describes.
SynonymsantleredAntonymshornlesspolled - 02 C2 Proficiency
an old-fashioned way to describe a man whose wife has been unfaithful.
referring to a man whose wife has committed adultery; historically symbolised by horns growing from the forehead.
Simple“In the old play, the character was mocked as a horned husband.”
In context“Shakespearean comedy frequently employs the trope of the horned man to elicit laughter from the contemporary audience regarding marital infidelity.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is strictly historical and literary; do not use it in modern conversation as it will not be understood or may seem offensive.
Synonyms
“Scientists discovered a small, yellowish mountain horned dragon in Thailand and named it Acanthosaura syrax after a dragon from House of the Dragon.”
From Middle English horned, hornyd, from Old English hyrned, ġehyrned (“having horns; horned”), from Proto-Germanic hurnidaz (“horned”), past participle of Proto-Germanic hurnijaną (“to horn; provide or fit with horns”); equivalent to horn (“noun”) + -ed. Cognate with Dutch gehoornd (“horned”), German gehörnt (“horned”), Danish hornede (“horned”).
See horn (verb).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.