unicorn

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

Unicorn with a maiden, fresco in Palazzo Farnese, Rome, probably by Domenichino, ca 1602 (1)

From Anglo-Norman unicorne, Old French unicorne, and their source, Latin ūnicornis, from unus (“one”) + cornu (“horn”).

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈjuːnɪkɔːn/
• (US) IPA: /ˈjunɪkɔɹn/

Noun

unicorn (plural unicorns)

1. (Discuss⁽⁺⁾ this sense)A mythical beast traditionally represented as having the legs of a buck, the body of a horse, the tail of a lion with a single spiral horn on its head; a symbol of virginity.
2. A heraldic representation of such a beast used as a charge or as a supporter; as in the arms of Great Britain and of Scotland.
3. (historical) In various Bible translations, used to render the Latin unicornis or rhinoceros (representing Hebrew רְאֵם); a reem or wild ox.
   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible (Authorized Version), Numbers 24:8

     God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.

Hyponyms

• pegacorn, unipeg, unisus (“winged unicorn”)

Meronyms

• alicorn (“unicorn horn”)

Holonyms

• blessing (“group of unicorns”)

Derived terms

terms derived from unicorn

Chinese unicorn Invisible Pink Unicorn unicorn bait

unicorn root unicornlike

Translations

mythical beast

• Albanian: briqen (sq), njëbrirësh (sq) m
• Arabic: حريش (ar) (ḥarīš) m, يونيكورن (ar) (yūnīkūrn) m
• Armenian: միեղջյուր (hy) (mieġǰyur)
• Asturian: unicorniu (ast) m
• Belarusian: аднарог (be) (adnaróh) m
• Bulgarian: инорог (bg) (inoróg) m, единорог (bg) (edinoróg) m
• Catalan: unicorn (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: (Chinese unicorn) 麒麟 (cmn) (qílín), (Western unicorn) 獨角獸 (cmn), 独角兽 (cmn) (dújiǎoshòu)

• Czech: jednorožec (cs) m
• Danish: enhjørning (da) c
• Dutch: eenhoorn (nl) m
• Esperanto: unukornulo (eo)
• Finnish: yksisarvinen (fi)
• French: licorne (fr) f
• Galician: unicornio (gl) m
• Georgian: მარტორქა (ka) (martorka)
• German: Einhorn (de) n
• Greek: μονόκερος (el) (monókeros)
• Hungarian: unikornis (hu), egyszarvú (hu)
• Icelandic: einhyrningur (is) m
• Irish: aonbheannach (ga) m
• Italian: unicorno (it) m
• Japanese: 麒麟 (ja) (きりん, kirin), 一角獣 (ja) (いっかくじゅう, ikkakujū), ユニコーン (ja) (yunikōn)

• Korean: 유니콘 (ko) (yunikon), 일각수 (ko) (ilgaksu) (一角獸 (ko))
• Latin: ūnicornis (la) m
• Macedonian: еднорог (mk) (édnorog) m
• Maltese: unikorn (mt) m
• Manx: un-eairkagh (gv) m
• Marathi: युनिकॉर्न (mr) (yunīkǒrna) m
• Navajo: łį́į́ʼ bideeʼłáaʼii
• Norwegian: enhjørning (no) m
• Ojibwe: ningodeshkani
• Old English: ānhorn (ang) m
• Polish: jednorożec (pl) m
• Portuguese: unicórnio (pt) m, licorne (pt) m
• Russian: единорог (ru) (jedinoróg) m
• Scottish Gaelic: aon-adharcach (gd) m, sròin-adharcach (gd) m, biast-na-sgrogaig (gd) f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: једнорог (sh) m

  Roman: jednorog (sh) m

• Slovak: jednorožec (sk) m
• Slovene: samorog (sl) m, enorog (sl) m
• Spanish: unicornio (es) m
• Swahili: yunikoni (sw)
• Swedish: enhörning (sv) c
• Turkish: tek boynuzlu at (tr), tekboynuz (tr)
• Ukrainian: єдиноріг (uk) (jedynoríh) m
• Volapük: (♂♀) balhon (vo), (♂) hibalhon (vo), (♀) jibalhon (vo), (♂♀ offspring) balhonül (vo), (♂ offspring) hibalhonül (vo), (♀ offspring) jibalhonül (vo)
• Welsh: uncorn (cy) m and f

See also

• alicorn
• bicorne
• monoceros

• reem
• tricorn, tricorne