Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Cornu

Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary, and Greek Lexicon (Rich, 1849)

CORNU, CORNUS, or CORNUM (κέρας), originally, an animal's horn; whence specially applied to various other objects, either because they were made of horn, or resembled one in form; for instance:

1. A horn lantern. Plaut. Amph. i. 1. 188. See LATERNA.

2. An oil cruet, either made of horn, or out of a horn. Hor. Sat. ii. 2. 61.

3. A funnel made out of a horn. (Virg. Georg. iii. 509.) See INFUNDIBULUM.

4. A drinking-horn (Calpurn. Ecl. x. 48. Plin. H. N. xi. 45.), originally made out of a simple horn, but subsequently of different metals modelled into that form. When drinking, the horn was held above the head, and the liquor permitted to flow from it into the mouth through a small orifice at the sharp end, as shown by the illustration (Cornu/4.1), from a painting at Pompeii.

5. An ornamental part of the helmet. (Liv. xxvii. 33. Virg. Aen. xii. 89.) See CORNICULUM.

6. (σάλπιγξ στρογγύλη). A very large trumpet; originally made of horn, but subsequently of bronze (Varro, L. L. v. 117. Ovid. Met. i. 98.), with a cross-bar, which served the double purpose of keeping it in shape, and of assisting the trumpeter to hold it steady while in use, as shown by the illustration s. CORNICEN. The example (Cornu/6.1) is copied from the Column of Trajan.

7. The horn of a lyre (testudo); and as there were two of these, one on each side of the instrument, the plural is more appropriately used. (Cic. N. D. ii. 59.) They were sometimes actually made with the horns of certain animals, as of the wild antelope (Herod. iv. 192.), which appear to be represented in the annexed example (Cornu/7.1), from a painting at Pompeii.

8. A bow; in like manner made with the horns of animals, joined together by a centre piece, as shown by the annexed example (Cornu/8.1), from a fictile vase. In this sense both the singular and plural are used. Ovid. Met. v. 383. Virg. Ecl. x. 59. Suet. Nero, 39.

9. The extreme ends (Cornu/9.1) of a yardarm, to which a square sail is attached; used in the plural, because there were two of them. Virg. Aen. iii. 549. Ib. v. 832.

10. Also in the plural. Ornaments affixed to each end of the stick upon which an ancient book or volume was rolled, in the same manner as now practised for maps, and projecting on either side beyond the margin of the roll. The precise character of these horns is not ascertained, nor in what respect they differed from the umbilici; nor have any appendages appearing to correspond with the name been met with amongst the numerous MSS. discovered at Herculaneum. It is clear, however (from Ov. Trist. i. 1. 8. and Tibull. iii. 3. 13.), that all books were not decorated with them, but only such as were fitted up with more than ordinary taste and elegance. As the cylinder to which the horns were attached was fastened on to the bottom of the roll, the expression ad cornua is used to signify the end. Mart. xi. 107. Compare UMBILICUS.

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  Cornu/4.1
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  Cornu/6.1
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  Cornu/7.1
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  Cornu/8.1
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  Cornu/9.1