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bicornis

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word bicornis

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
70–19 BC, Virgil
Ultimate origin
Latin (cornū)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin cornu
Latin unicornis
English unicorn
Latin cornipes
Latin bicornis

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [bɪˈkɔr.nɪs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [biˈkɔr.nis][1]

Forms

bicornis (neuter bicorne); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin bi- + cornū (“horn”) + -is.[2][1] De Vaan traces cornū to Proto-Italic *kornu- and Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥n-o- (“horn”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Virgil has it first,[2][4] of a two-pronged fork in the Georgics.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

Its basic sense is “two-horned”, of goats, fauns, satyrs and other animals.[2][5] Horace calls the moon bicornis, the crescent, and Virgil and Ovid use it of rivers with two arms or mouths, such as the Rhine and the Granicus;[5][6][7] Statius uses it of the twin-peaked ridge of Parnassus.[2][6] Ammianus Marcellinus applies it to a battle line drawn up in a crescent.[5][7] An inscription has the plural bicornēs for horned beasts for sacrifice.[5][6]

Medieval writers use it of the crescent moon, two-pronged forks, rivers with two arms and organ pipes with two channels;[8] a British poem names a cow Bicornis.[9] The TLL notes Romance continuants meaning “anvil”: Italian bicornia, French bigorne and Spanish bigornia.[10]

Timeline

  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of a two-pronged fork.[2][4]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace calls the crescent moon bicornis.[2][4]
  • 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it of a two-horned goat.[6][4]
  • c. 45–96 AD – Statius uses it of the double peak of Parnassus.[2][4]
  • c. 390 AD – Ammianus Marcellinus uses it of a crescent-shaped battle line.[5][4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Having two horns.[2][11]
  2. Having two prongs or points;[2][5] (of the moon) crescent;[2][5] (of a mountain) having two peaks.[2][5]
  3. (of a river) Having two arms or mouths.[5][6]
  4. (Medieval Latin, of an organ pipe) Having two channels.[8]

Noun

  1. (plural) Horned animals offered in sacrifice.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  6. ^ a b c d e f Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  8. ^ a b Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  9. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  10. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  11. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Bicornis.” Etymologically, 20 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/bicornis. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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