cornu

[ kawr-noo, -nyoo ]

noun,plural cor·nu·a [kawr-noo-uh, -nyoo-uh]. /ˈkɔr nu ə, -nyu ə/. Anatomy, Zoology.
  1. an anatomical structure, especially a bony part, that resembles a horn.

Origin of cornu

1
First recorded in 1685–95; from Latin: horn; akin to Greek kéras (see cerat-), krāníon cranium

Other words from cornu

  • cor·nu·al, adjective
  • sub·cor·nu·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cornu in a sentence

  • To the ends of the umbilcus were added knobs (cornua), sometimes gilded or painted a bright color.

    The Private Life of the Romans | Harold Whetstone Johnston
  • The model depicted in Fig. 60, B, enables the operator to clear out the uterine cornua and is of the best shape.

  • The hyoid arch has very slender cornua and no distinct body, it is attached neither to the cranium nor to the suspensorium.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds
  • The hyoid arch (fig. 29, A, 2) consists of a pair of cornua, each of which is divided into two halves.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds
  • The posterior cornua form a pair of straight bony rods diverging outwards from the posterior end of the basilingual plate.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for cornu

cornu

/ (ˈkɔːnjuː) /


nounplural -nua (-njʊə)
  1. anatomy a part or structure resembling a horn or having a hornlike pattern, such as a cross section of the grey matter of the spinal cord

Origin of cornu

1
C17: from Latin: a horn

Derived forms of cornu

  • cornual, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012