unicornis

Latin

Etymology

From ūnus (“one”) +‎ cornū (“horn”) +‎ -is, a calque of Ancient Greek μονόκερως (monókerōs).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /uː.niˈkor.nis/, [uːnɪˈkɔrnɪs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /u.niˈkor.nis/, [uniˈkɔrnis]

Adjective

ūnicornis (neuter ūnicorne); third-declension two-termination adjective

1. One-horned.

Declension

Third-declension two-termination adjective.

Number	Singular			Plural
Case / Gender	Masc./Fem.	Neuter		Masc./Fem.	Neuter
Nominative	ūnicornis	ūnicorne		ūnicornēs	ūnicornia
Genitive	ūnicornis			ūnicornium
Dative	ūnicornī			ūnicornibus
Accusative	ūnicornem	ūnicorne		ūnicornēs ūnicornīs	ūnicornia
Ablative	ūnicornī			ūnicornibus
Vocative	ūnicornis	ūnicorne		ūnicornēs	ūnicornia

Noun

ūnicornis m (genitive ūnicornis); third declension

1. A unicorn.

   Synonyms: monoceros, ūnicornuus

Declension

Third-declension noun (i-stem).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	ūnicornis	ūnicornēs
Genitive	ūnicornis	ūnicornium
Dative	ūnicornī	ūnicornibus
Accusative	ūnicornem	ūnicornēs ūnicornīs
Ablative	ūnicorne	ūnicornibus
Vocative	ūnicornis	ūnicornēs

Descendants

• → Catalan: unicorn
• → Old French: unicorne
  • Anglo-Norman: unicorne
    • → Middle English: unicorne, unycorne, unycorn, unicorn, unikorn
      • English: unicorn
      • Scots: unicorn
  • French: licorne
• → Old High German: einhurno, einhorn, einhorno, einhurn (calque)
  • Middle High German: einhurne, einhorn
    • German: Einhorn
    • Yiddish: איינהאָרן (eynhorn)
• → Italian: unicorno
• → Spanish: unicornio

See also

• bicornis

References

• “unicornis”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• unicornis in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.