unicorn

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈjuː.nɪ.kɔːn/ (UK); /ˈju.nɪ.kɔɹn/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English unicorne, borrowed from Old French unicorne,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Late Latin ūnicornis (“one-horned”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Latin ūni- (“one”) + cornū (“horn”).^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Old English had ānhorn, a loan translation of the Latin.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A fabulous animal with a single horn projecting from its forehead (before 1225).^[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The Late Latin word of the Vulgate translated Greek monókerōs, which rendered Hebrew rə'ēm, probably a kind of wild ox;^[4][6] the Revised Version replaced unicorn with wild-ox.^[4] Pliny described the creature as having a horse's body, a deer's head, an elephant's feet and a lion's tail.^[4] In heraldry the unicorn is a supporter of the Royal Arms of Scotland and Great Britain (c. 1400),^[7][2] and a Scottish gold coin bearing its figure was called a unicorn (1487).^[7][6] The constellation Monoceros is also called the Unicorn (1771).^[7][2] In modern business use a unicorn is a start-up company valued at over a billion dollars.^[1]

Timeline

• before 1225 – the fabulous animal.^[7][3]
• c. 1400 – a heraldic representation.^[7]
• 1487 – a Scottish gold coin.^[7]
• 1771 – the constellation Monoceros.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A fabled creature, usually shown as a horse with a single straight spiralled horn in the middle of its forehead, often a symbol of purity.
2. A heraldic representation of this beast, with a lion's tail, as a supporter of the Royal Arms of Scotland or Britain.
3. (Unicorn) The constellation Monoceros.
4. Something rare and hard to find; also, a start-up company valued at more than a billion dollars.

Related words

• horn
• unicycle
• rhinoceros
• narwhal

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 Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e 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