English Explanatory Dictionary

carnyx

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A bronze wind instrument used by Iron Age Celts (c. 200 B.C.E. – 200 C.E.) as a type of battle trumpet; held vertically when played, it was shaped like an elongated S with a mouthpiece at the lower end and a bell (often resembling an animal with an open mouth) at the upper end.

Pronunciation

/ˈkɑːnɪks/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-carnyx.wav /ˈkɑɹnɪks/ /ˈkɑːnɪsiːz/ /ˈkɑɹnəˌsiz/

Word forms

carnyx carnyces carnyxes carnix

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Late Latin carnyx, from Byzantine Greek κάρνυξ (kárnux, “carnyx”), from κάρνον (kárnon, “carnyx”) (both translating Galatian words into Greek), from Gaulish carno- (“horn of an animal”) (used in names), from Proto-Celtic *karnos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- (“head, top; horn of an animal”).

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