hornpipe

[hawrn-pahyp]

noun

an English folk clarinet having one ox horn concealing the reed and another forming the bell.
a lively jiglike dance, originally to music played on a hornpipe, performed usually by one person, and traditionally a favorite of sailors.
a piece of music for or in the style of such a dance.

Origin of hornpipe

1350–1400; Middle English. See horn, pipe¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for hornpipe

Historical Examples of hornpipe

It's like saying your prayers to a hornpipe, thinking of her and carrying on with them wastrels.
Capt'n Davy's Honeymoon
Hall Caine
In Britain, you have the hornpipe, a dance which is held an original of this country.
A Treatise on the Art of Dancing
Giovanni-Andrea Gallini
And if it will make your dinner agree with you, I will dance you a hornpipe into the bargain.
My Ten Years' Imprisonment
Silvio Pellico
Tom was talked about: biceps like thighs, now: a hornpipe danced on the hands.
The Bill-Toppers
Andre Castaigne
He intimated also to Jack that he must get up and go through his hornpipe again.
Salt Water
W. H. G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for hornpipe

hornpipe

noun

an obsolete reed instrument with a mouthpiece made of horn
an old British solo dance to a hornpipe accompaniment, traditionally performed by sailors
a piece of music for such a dance

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 hornpipe

c.1400, hornepype, "musical instrument with bell and mouthpiece made of horn," from horn (n.) + pipe (n.1). Later (late 15c.) "dance associated with sailors" (originally performed to music from such an instrument).