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Longhorn

[lawng-hawrn, long-]
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noun
  1. (lowercase) Texas longhorn.
  2. Slang. a Texan.
  3. (lowercase) long-horned beetle.
  4. one of a nearly extinct English breed of beef cattle having horns that are very long and curve forward dramatically.
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Origin of Longhorn

First recorded in 1825–35; long1 + horn

long-horned beetle

[lawng-hawrnd, long-]
noun
  1. any of numerous, often brightly colored beetles of the family Cerambycidae, usually with long antennae, the larva of which bores into the wood of living or decaying trees.
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Origin of long-horned beetle

First recorded in 1830–40
Also called longhorn.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for longhorn

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Jack Roberts was in two minds whether to stop at the Longhorn saloon.

    Oh, You Tex!

    William Macleod Raine

  • There was not a longhorn among them; there has not been a longhorn on the range for many years.

  • I always work for wages, my pay I get in gold; I am bound to follow the longhorn steer until I am too old.

  • As she straightened up and turned to go, she beheld a Texas steer of the longhorn variety only a short distance away.

    The Wrong Woman

    Charles D. Stewart

  • A Texas longhorn of the old school was enough to move anybody,—better calculated to do so than either the elk or deer.

    The Wrong Woman

    Charles D. Stewart

British Dictionary definitions for longhorn

longhorn

noun
  1. Also called: Texas longhorn a long-horned breed of beef cattle, usually red or variegated, formerly common in SW US
  2. a now rare British breed of beef cattle with long curved horns
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long-horned beetle

noun
  1. the longicorn beetleSee longicorn (def. 1)
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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 longhorn

adj.

also long-horn, in reference to a type of cattle, 1808, from long (adj.) + horn (n.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper