cornu

Latin > English (Lewis & Short)

cornū: ūs (so Caes. B. C. 3, 68 Dint.; Luc. 7, 217; Plin. 28, 11, 46, § 163 et saep.; Curt. 4, 12, 11 al.; ū in the connection cornu bubuli and cornu cervini; also Cael. Aur. Tard. 3, 5, 76; Veg. Art. Vet. 1, 20, 1 al.; cf. esp. Neue, Formenl. 1, p. 355), n. (access. form cornum, i, n., Varr. R. R. 3, 9, 14; Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 5 Fleck.; Lucr. 2, 388; Ov. M. 2, 874; Scrib. Comp. 141; Gell. 14, 6, 2 al.;
I gen. plur. cornorum, Scrib. Comp. 60. —An access. form cornus, ūs, has been assumed on account of the rel. masc. in the passage: nares similes cornibus iis, qui, etc., Cic. N. D. 2, 59, 149, if the reading is correct.—The dat. sing. apparently never used; for in the connection: laevo cornu Cotys rex praeerat ... dextro cornu praepositus C. Licinius Crassus, Liv. 42, 58, 6 and 7, the supposition of the abl. is more in acc. with the usage of Livy; cf.: Antipatrum in laevo praeposuit, id. 37, 41, 1 et saep.) kindred with κέρας, and Germ. and Engl. horn; cf. also carina, cervus, a horn.
I Lit., a hard and generally crooked growth upon the head of many mammiferous animals (very freq. in all periods and species of composition), Plin. 11, 37, 45, § 123 sq.; Cic. N. D. 2, 47, 121; of a bullock, Lucr. 5, 1033; 5, 1324; Cat. 64, 111; Ov. M. 9, 186; Hor. C. 3, 27, 72; id. S. 1, 5, 58 et saep.; also of the constellation Taurus, Ov. M. 2, 80; of the ram, id. ib. 5, 328; and the constellation Aries, Cic. poët. N. D. 2, 43, 111; of the he-goat, Verg. E. 9, 25; of kids, id. G. 2, 526 al.—Of the antlers of a stag, Ov. M. 3, 194; 10, 111; Verg. A. 10, 725 al.: Cornu Copiae (less correctly, but freq. in late Lat., as one word, Cornūcōpĭae, and twice Cornūcōpĭa, ae, f., Amm. 22, 9, 1; 25, 2, 3), acc. to the fable, the horn of the goat Amalthea placed in heaven, Greek Κέρας Ἀμαλθείας (v. Amalthea), the emblem of fruitfulness and abundance, Plaut. Ps. 2, 3, 5; Gell. 14, 6, 2; cf. Hor. C. 1, 17, 16; id. C. S. 60; id. Ep. 1, 12, 29; Ov. M. 9, 88.—
   B Meton., of things similar to horn in substance or form, or made of horn.
   1    That which is similar to horn in substance.
   a A hoof, Cato, R. R. 72; Verg. G. 3, 88; Sil. 13, 327.—
   b Of the bills of birds, Ov. M. 14, 502.—
   c The horny skin covering the eye, Plin. 11, 37, 55, § 148.—
   d A horny excrescence on the head, a wart, Hor. S. 1, 5, 58.— Far more freq.,
   2    That which is similar to a horn in form, a projecting extremity, the point or end of any object.
   a The tooth or tusk of an elephant, ivory, Varr. L. L. 7, § 39 Müll.; Plin. 8, 3, 4, § 7; 18, 1, 1, § 2: cornu Indicum, Mart. 1, 73, 4.—
   b The horns of the moon, Cic. Fragm. ap. Non. p. 122, 2; Verg. G. 1, 433; Ov. M. 1, 11; 2, 117 et saep.—
   c The branches of a river, Ov. M. 9, 774.—Hence, the river-gods were represented with horns, Verg. G. 4, 371; Mart. 10, 7 et saep.; cf.: corniger, tauriformis, etc., and v. Lidd. and Scott under κέρας, V.—
   d The arm of the shore forming a harbor, a tongue of land, Caes. ap. Cic. Att. 9, 14, 1; Ov. M. 5, 410; Plin. 4, 21, 35, § 113.—
   e The extremity or end of the sailyards, Verg. A. 3, 549; 5, 832; Ov. M. 11, 476; Hor. Epod. 16, 59; Sil. 14. 389.—
   f The cone of a helmet in which the crest was placed: cornua cristae, Verg. A. 12, 89: alterum cornu galeae, Liv. 27, 33, 2.—
The end of the stick around which books were rolled, usually ornamented with ivory, Tib. 3, 1, 13; Ov. Tr. 1, 1, 8; Mart. 11, 107. —
The side of a bow in the form of a horn, Ov. M. 1, 455; 5, 56; 2, 603.—
The horn-shaped side of the cithara (perh. the sounding-board), Cic. N. D. 2, 59, 149 fin.—
The top or summit of a mountain: cornua Parnasi, Stat. Th. 5, 532; Curt. 3, 4, 4. —
   1    The point, end, extremity, wing of a place, Liv. 25, 3, 17; Tac. A. 1, 75; Plin. 34, 6, 12, § 26 al.—
The wing of an army (very freq.), Caes. B. G. 1, 52 (three times); 2, 23; 2, 25; 7, 62 (twice); Liv. 9, 40, 3 sq(seven times).—*
   (b)    Transf.: cornua disputationis tuae commovere, i. e. to drive back, Cic. Div. 2, 10, 26 (v. the passage in connection).—
The feeler or claw of an insect, Plin. 9, 30, 50, § 95; 9, 31, 51, § 99 al. —
The stiff hair of the Germans: quis stupuit Germani lumina, flavam Caesariem et madido torquentem cornua cirro? Juv. 13, 165.—
   3    Of objects made of horn.
   a A bow, Verg. E. 10, 59; Ov. M. 5, 383; Sil. 2, 109 al.—
   b A bugle-horn, a horn, trumpet (cornua, quod ea, quae nunc sunt ex aere, tunc fiebant bubulo e cornu, Varr. L. L. 5, § 117 Müll.), Lucil. ap. Non. p. 265, 5; Lucr. 2, 620; Verg. A. 7, 615; Ov. M. 1, 98; 3, 533; Hor. C. 1, 18, 14; 2, 1, 17; Juv. 2, 90; 6, 315.—Connected with tubae, Cic. Sull. 5, 17; Tac. A. 1, 68; 2, 81, cf. Dict. of Antiq., s. v. cornu.—In a sarcastic double sense with a.: dum tendit citharam noster, dum cornua Parthus, Poët. ap. Suet. Ner. 39 (v. the passage in connection).—
   c The sides of the lyre, originally consisting of two horns, giving resonance to the strings, Cic. N. D. 2, 57, 144; 2, 59, 149.—
   d A lantern, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 185; cf. Lucr 2, 388; and Plin. 11, 16, 16, § 49.—
   e An oil cruet, Hor S. 2, 2, 61.—
   f A funnel, Verg. G. 3, 509; Col. 6, 2, 7 al.—
II Trop., as an emblem of power, courage, strength, might (the figure taken from bullocks. Also in Heb. a very freq. metaph.; cf. Gesen. Lex. s. v. , p. 906, 6; poet.): ne in re secundā nunc mi obvortat cornua, Plaut. Ps. 4, 3, 5: venerunt capiti cornua sera meo, Ov. Am. 3, 11,: tunc pauper cornua sumit, gains strength, courage, id. A. A. 1, 239; cf.. tu (sc. amphora) addis cornua pauperi, etc., Hor. C. 3, 21, 18.—Hence Bacchus, as a giver of courage, is represented with horns, Tib. 2, 1, 3; Hor. C. 2, 19, 30; v. Bacchus, I.; cf. of a river-god, I. B. 2. c. supra.