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Horn vs Hern - What's the difference?

horn | hern |

As a proper noun horn

is one of the names of freyja.

As a noun hern is

(obsolete|or|dialectal) corner or hern can be (dialectal|or|poetic) heron.

As a pronoun hern is

hers; her own.

horn

English

Noun

  • (countable) A hard growth of keratin that protrudes from the top of the head of certain animals, usually paired.
  • Any similar real or imaginary growth or projection such as the elongated tusk of a narwhal, the eyestalk of a snail, the pointed growth on the nose of a rhinoceros, or the hornlike projection on the head of a demon or similar.
  • An antler.
  • (uncountable) The hard substance from which animals' horns are made, sometimes used by man as a material for making various objects.
    • an umbrella with a handle made of horn
  • An object whose shape resembles a horn, such as cornucopia, the point of an anvil, or a vessel for gunpowder or liquid.
  • * Thomson
    • The moon / Wears a wan circle round her blunted horns .
  • * Mason
    • horns of mead and ale
  • # The high pommel of a saddle; also, either of the projections on a lady's saddle for supporting the leg.
  • # (architecture) The Ionic volute.
  • # (nautical) The outer end of a crosstree; also, one of the projections forming the jaws of a gaff, boom, etc.
  • # (carpentry) A curved projection on the fore part of a plane.
  • # One of the projections at the four corners of the Jewish altar of burnt offering.
  • #* Bible, 1 Kings ii. 28
  • Joab caught hold on the horns of the altar
  • (countable) Any of several musical wind instruments.
  • (countable) An instrument resembling a musical horn and used to signal others.
    • hunting horn
  • (countable) A loud alarm, especially one on a motor vehicle.
  • (countable) A conical device used to direct waves.
    • antenna horn
    loudspeaker horn
  • (informal, countable) Generally, any brass wind instrument.
  • (slang, countable, from the horn-shaped earpieces of old communication systems that used air tubes) A telephone.
  • (uncountable, coarse, slang, definite article) An erection of the penis.
  • (countable) A peninsula or crescent-shaped tract of land. "to navigate around the horn ."
  • (countable) A diacritical mark that may be attached to the top right corner of the letters o' and '''u''' when writing in Vietnamese, thus forming '''?''' and ' ? .
  • (botany) An incurved, tapering and pointed appendage found in the flowers of the milkweed (Asclepias ).

    • Usage notes

    * When used alone to refer to an instrument, horn can mean either "hunting horn" or "French horn", depending on context. Other instruments are identified by specific adjectives such as "English horn" or "basset horn".

    Synonyms

    * (growth on the heads of certain animals) * (hard substance from which horns are made) keratin * (any of several musical wind instruments) * (instrument used to signal others) * hooter, klaxon * (conical device used to direct waves) funnel * * blower (UK''), dog and bone (''Cockney rhyming slang ), phone * boner (US ), hard-on, stiffy

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (of an animal) To assault with the s
  • (slang, obsolete) To cuckold

    • Derived terms

    * blowhorn * bullhorn * French horn * have the horn * horned * horn in * hornist * horn of plenty * hornless * hornworm * hornwort * horny * lock horns * pull in one's horns * shoehorn * take the bull by the horns * toot one's own horn ----

    hern

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) herne, hyrne, from (etyl) . More at (l).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete, or, dialectal) Corner.

    • Etymology 2

    From , formed by analogy with (mine), (thine). Compare (l). Displaced in standard speech by the -s form, (m), which see for more.

    Pronoun

    (English Pronouns)
  • Hers; her own.

    • Etymology 3

    Dialectal variant of (m).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (dialectal, or, poetic) heron.
  • * 1662 , , Book II, A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr. Henry More, p. 73:
    • "Now for Swans'' & ''Ducks'', and such like ''Birds'' of the ''Water'', it is obvious to take notice how well they are fitted for that manner of life. For those that swim, their ''Feet'' are framed for it like a pair of ''Oars'', their ''Claws'' being connected with a pretty broad Membrane; and their ''Necks'' are long, that they may dive deep enough into the water. As also the ''Neck'' of the ''Hern'' , and such like Fowl who live of Fishes, and are fain to frequent their Element, who walk on long stilts also like the people that dwell in the Marshes; but their ''Claws have no such Membranes, for they had been but a hindrance to those kind of Birds that onely wade in the water, and do not swim."
    English third person pronouns ----