hornbook

[ hawrn-book ]

/ ˈhɔrnˌbʊk /

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noun

a leaf or page containing the alphabet, religious materials, etc., covered with a sheet of transparent horn and fixed in a frame with a handle, formerly used in teaching children to read.

a primer or book of rudiments.

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Origin of hornbook

First recorded in 1580–90; horn + book

Words nearby hornbook

hornbag, hornbeam, hornbill, hornblende, hornblende schist, hornbook, Hornby, horn chair, Horne, horned, horned cucumber

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hornbook in a sentence

This may seem like hornbook eighth-grade civics, but it bears repeating.
A Tea Party Shock to the System|Stephen L. Carter|August 1, 2011|DAILY BEAST
And, Captain Borroughcliffe, as you appear to be forgetting the use of your own language, here is even a hornbook for you!
The Pilot|J. Fenimore Cooper
It was difficult to get books in those days, and a hornbook would last a long time.
Stories of New Jersey|Frank Richard Stockton
They also tell of the use of the hornbook and the sun-dial, describe the making of soap and candles, and so forth.
A Mother's List of Books for Children|Gertrude Weld Arnold

But not to nod over a hornbook at the petty school—not John Shakespeare's son!
A Warwickshire Lad|George Madden Martin
His "Gull's Hornbook" is written against coxcombs, and he says their "vinegar railings shall not quench his Alpine resolutions."
History of English Humour, Vol. 1 (of 2)|Alfred Guy Kingan L'Estrange

British Dictionary definitions for hornbook

hornbook

/ (ˈhɔːnˌbʊk) /

noun

a page bearing a religious text or the alphabet, held in a frame with a thin window of flattened cattle horn over it

any elementary primer

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

hornbook

Origin of hornbook

Words nearby hornbook

Words related to hornbook

How to use hornbook in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hornbook