English
cornute
Cornute comes from Latin cornūtus ‘horned, having horns’, from cornu ‘horn’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱerh₂-‘horn’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱorh₂ureconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kornū‘horn’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcornu‘horn’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcornūtus‘horned, having horns’
- Englishearliest quotation 1969cornute
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱerh₂-‘horn’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱorh₂ureconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kornū‘horn’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcornu‘horn’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcornūtus‘horned, having horns’
- Englishearliest quotation 1969cornute
Earliest quotation: 1969, Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor: “‘Will you cooperate with me in cornuting your husband?…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- ‘horn’
cheer, hart, horn, cerebral, grail, crater, migraine, carotid, cerebellum, cranium, cairn, keratin, procrastinate, cerebrum, rother, 50 more
through Proto-Italic *kornū ‘horn’
through Latin cornu ‘horn’
Today it means
verb To give 'horns' to; to make a cuckold of.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- / cornute