English
licorne
Licorne comes from French licorne ‘unicorn’, from Latin ūnicornis ‘One-horned’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- ‘horn’.
- 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 CEcornū‘horn’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEūnicornis‘One-horned’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400unicorne‘unicorn’by way of Italian alicorno
- Frenchc. 1600–presentlicorne‘unicorn’
- Englishearliest quotation 1824same form
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 CEcornū‘horn’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEūnicornis‘One-horned’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400unicorne‘unicorn’by way of Italian alicorno
- Frenchc. 1600–presentlicorne‘unicorn’
- Englishearliest quotation 1824same form
Earliest quotation: 1824, K. C. B. of the Royal Artillery: “But I think our new 24-pounder howitzer will be…”
The story
Shuvalov, who introduced this type of artillery piece.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- ‘horn’
cheer, hart, horn, cerebral, crater, grail, migraine, carotid, procrastinate, cerebellum, cranium, cairn, keratin, cerebrum, rother, 50 more
through Proto-Italic *kornū ‘horn’
through Latin cornū ‘horn’
corny, cornea, cornet, 21 more
through Latin ūnicornis ‘One-horned’
Today it means
noun A type of muzzle-loading gun-howitzer used by the Russian Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- / licorne