Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Music A wind instrument of the trumpet class, having three valves operated by pistons.
  • noun A piece of paper twisted into a cone and used to hold small wares such as candy or nuts.
  • noun A headdress, often cone-shaped, worn by women in the 12th and 13th centuries.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Same as coronet, 6.
  • To let the blood of (a horse).
  • noun In botany, a hollow, horn-like growth or projection; a hood.
  • noun In music: Originally, a musical instrument of the oboe class, of crude construction and harsh tone.
  • noun Same as cornet-à-pistons. An organ-stop having from 3 to 5 pipes to each key, and giving loud and somewhat coarse tones: now rarely made.
  • noun A pedal reed-stop of 2-or 4-feet tone.
  • noun A little cap of paper twisted at the end, in which retailers inclose small wares.
  • noun The square-topped academic cap.
  • noun A woman's head-dress or a part of it, probably named from its angular or pointed shape, as the end or corner of the tippet of the chaperon in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
  • noun That part of the head-dress worn in the seventeenth century that hung down beside the cheek; a flap, a pendent strip of lace, or the like. See pinner. Also called bugle-cap.
  • noun In dressmaking, the shaping of a sleeve near the wrist: so called from its resemblance to what is known as trumpet-shape.
  • noun Same as cornette.
  • noun Milit.: A flag or standard.
  • noun The officer of lowest commissioned grade in the cavalry, to whose charge this flag was confided: a term equivalent to ensign in the infantry.
  • noun A company of cavalry, named in like manner from the standard carried at its head.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun An obsolete rude reed instrument (Ger. Zinken), of the oboe family.
  • noun A brass instrument, with cupped mouthpiece, and furnished with valves or pistons, now used in bands, and, in place of the trumpet, in orchestras. See cornet-à-piston.
  • noun A certain organ stop or register.
  • noun A cap of paper twisted at the end, used by retailers to inclose small wares.
  • noun obsolete, obsolete, obsolete A troop of cavalry; -- so called from its being accompanied by a cornet player.
  • noun obsolete The standard of such a troop.
  • noun The lowest grade of commissioned officer in a British cavalry troop, who carried the standard. The office was abolished in 1871.
  • noun A headdress.
  • noun A square cap anciently worn as a mark of certain professions.
  • noun A part of a woman's headdress, in the 16th century.
  • noun (Far.) See Coronet, 2.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A musical instrument of the brass family, slightly smaller than a trumpet, usually in the musical key of B-flat.
  • noun A piece of paper twisted to be used as a container.
  • noun A pastry shell to be filled with ice-cream, hence (UK) an ice cream cone.
  • noun The white headdress worn by the Sisters of Charity.
  • noun obsolete The standard flown by a cavalry troop.
  • noun historical The fifth commissioned officer in a cavalry troop, who carried the colours (equivalent to the ensign in infantry).

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a brass musical instrument with a brilliant tone; has a narrow tube and a flared bell and is played by means of valves

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French, diminutive of corn, horn, from Latin cornū; see ker- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French cornet, diminutive of a popular reflex of Latin cornū ("horn").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle French cornette, diminutive of corne, from Latin cornua ("horns").

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Examples

  • The cornet was a man of about forty, with a grey pointed beard, skinny and lean, but handsome and very fresh-looking for his age.

    The Cossacks 2003

  • And my dad was buying me a cornet, which is sort of like a trumpet.

    Oral History Interview with Arthur Griffin, May 7, 1999. Interview K-0168. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) 1999

  • He would be content with the little one, the what-you-call cornet; and -- don't you see? '

    The White Wolf and Other Fireside Tales Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch 1903

  • The cornet was his own, and he presented the drum to King, and the tambourine to Marjorie.

    Marjorie at Seacote Carolyn Wells 1902

  • The cornet was a man of about forty, with a grey pointed beard, skinny and lean, but handsome and very fresh-looking for his age.

    The Cossacks Leo Tolstoy 1869

  • One of the most famous musicians of the 20th century, he was first known as a cornet player, then as a trumpet player, and toward the end of his career he was best known as a vocalist and influential jazz singers.

    offBeat 2010

  • One of the most famous musicians of the 20th century, he was first known as a cornet player, then as a trumpet player, and toward the end of his career he was best known as a vocalist and influential jazz singers.

    offBeat 2010

  • One of the most famous musicians of the 20th century, he was first known as a cornet player, then as a trumpet player, and toward the end of his career he was best known as a vocalist and influential jazz singers.

    offBeat 2010

  • One of the most famous musicians of the 20th century, he was first known as a cornet player, then as a trumpet player, and toward the end of his career he was best known as a vocalist and influential jazz singers.

    offBeat 2010

  • One of the most famous musicians of the 20th century, he was first known as a cornet player, then as a trumpet player, and toward the end of his career he was best known as a vocalist and influential jazz singers.

    offBeat 2010

Comments

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  • "an officer in a troop of cavalry with the rank of ensign." (citation in list description)

    October 10, 2008

  • I love seeing the two tags on here:

    fruit - military

    October 10, 2008