post horn

noun

a straight or coiled copper or brass horn with no valves or slide, originally used to announce mail coaches.

Origin of post horn

First recorded in 1665–75

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

Examples from the Web for post horn

Historical Examples of post horn

The post-horn sounded in the empty street; they rolled away—it was at daybreak.
O. T.
Hans Christian Andersen
Be ready to-morrow morning when you hear the post-horn sound.
Black Diamonds
Mr Jkai
It was the post-horn which sounded the note of Felix Kaulmann's departure.
Black Diamonds
Mr Jkai
In the distance a post-horn endowed the air with silver tongues.
The Passionate Elopement
Compton Mackenzie
Meanwhile a pleasant interruption occurs in the post-horn winding loud and clear along the settlement.
Sketches And Tales Illustrative Of Life In The Backwoods Of New Brunswick
Mrs. F. Beavan

British Dictionary definitions for post horn

post horn

noun

a simple valveless natural horn consisting of a long tube of brass or copper, either straight or coiled; formerly often used to announce the arrival of a mailcoach

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