Etymologically
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cornucopia

Etymology and origin of the English word cornucopia

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Formation
Borrowing
Borrowed from
Latin cornucopia

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌkɔː.njəˈkəʊ.pi.ə/ (UK); /ˌkɔɹ.nəˈkoʊ.pi.ə/, /ˌkɔɹ.njəˈkoʊ.pi.ə/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin cornūcōpia,[2][3][4][5] from Latin cornū cōpiae “horn of plenty”,[2][3][4][5] from cornū “horn” and cōpiae, the genitive of cōpia “plenty”.[2][4][6] It is related to horn and copious.[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The horn of plenty, a goat's horn shown overflowing with flowers, fruit and grain as an emblem of abundance.[7][5] Merriam-Webster and Barnhart date it to 1508, the OED to 1592 and Etymonline to the 1590s.[3][4][7][5]

Semantic evolution

The original cornucopia was the horn of the goat Amalthea, who suckled the infant Zeus;[4][5][6] in folklore it filled with whatever its owner wanted.[2][1] From the emblem the word passed to any overflowing store or abundance (1611),[7][3] and to a horn-shaped container or ornament (1863).[7][2] Shakespeare's age also used it humorously for the horn of cuckoldry (1600).[7]

Timeline

  • 1508 – the horn of plenty.[3][4]
  • 1600 – (humorous) the cuckold's horn.[7]
  • 1611 – an overflowing store.[7]
  • 1863 – a horn-shaped vessel or ornament.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A goat's horn overflowing with fruit, flowers and grain, used as a symbol of abundance.
  2. (Greek mythology) The horn of the goat that suckled Zeus, which was always full of food and drink.
  3. An abundant, overflowing supply.
  4. A horn-shaped or conical ornament or container.

Word family

  • cornucopian

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Cornucopia.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/cornucopia. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·