cornet

[kawr-net for 1; kawr-nit, kawr-net for 2–8]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cornet ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Music. a valved wind instrument of the trumpet family.

a small cone of paper twisted at the end and used for holding candy, nuts, etc.

a pastry cone, usually filled with whipped cream.

British. a conical wafer, as for ice cream; cone.

a large, white, winged headdress formerly worn by the members of the Sisters of Charity.

a woman's headdress, often cone-shaped, usually of delicate fabrics and having lappets of lace or other material, worn by women from the 14th to the 18th century.

a pennant or flag used for signaling in a navy.

(formerly) the officer who carried the colors in a troop of cavalry: the cornet of horse.

Origin of cornet

1325–75; Middle English < Middle French, Old French, equivalent to corn horn (< Latin cornū; see cornu) + -et -et

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for cornet

trumpet, horn

Examples from the Web for cornet

Historical Examples of cornet

The cornet and bass-viol had put in an appearance, but the pianist had been lost in the shuffle.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith
It is stated that the Oneida Indians have organized a cornet band.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 15, July 9, 1870
Various
The cornet hesitated for a little, and then told his uncle the name of his accomplice.
Henry Dunbar
M. E. Braddon
Then at the sharp order of the cornet, the little troop started for Bridgewater.
Captain Blood
Rafael Sabatini
Saul Lapham, a friend of his, plays the cornet at the choir-rehearsals.
Lippincott's Magazine, Vol. 22, September, 1878
Various

British Dictionary definitions for cornet

cornet

noun

Also called: cornet à pistons (ˈkɔːnɪt ə ˈpɪstənz, French kɔrnɛ a pistɔ̃) a three-valved brass instrument of the trumpet family. Written range: about two and a half octaves upwards from E below middle C. It is a transposing instrument in B flat or A

a person who plays the cornet

a variant spelling of cornett

a cone-shaped paper container for sweets, etc

British a cone-shaped wafer container for ice cream

(formerly) the lowest rank of commissioned cavalry officer in the British army

Southern African short for field cornet

a starched and wired muslin or lace cap worn by women from the 12th to the 15th centuries

the large white headdress of some nuns

Word Origin for cornet

C14: from Old French, from corn, from Latin cornū horn

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

Word Origin and History for cornet

c.1400, "A wind instrument made of wood and provided with six finger holes" [Middle English Dictionary], from Old French cornet (14c.) "a small horn," diminutive of corn "a horn," from Latin cornu "horn" (see horn (n.)). Modern use is short for cornet-à-pistons "cornet with pistons."

The quality of the tone is penetrating and unsympathetic, by no means equal to that of the trumpet, for which it is commonly substituted. ["cornet" entry in "Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia," 1902]