horny
/ˈhɔːrni/
adjective
Origin
Old English
horn — horn, projection
Overview
Meaning Now
- Having a texture or appearance like horn; composed of horn.
- Sexually aroused or desiring sexual activity.
Literal older meaning
consisting of or resembling horn
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
hornig
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The sexual sense of the word emerged as a slang term in the late 19th or early 20th century. It utilizes the metaphorical association between the physical hardness of animal horns and the physiological state of penile tumescence.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*hurnaz
“horn”
- Old English
hornig
“horn-shaped, made of horn”
- Middle English
horny
“consisting of horn, hardened”
- 19th century
horny
“sexually aroused”
Evolved from the sense of feeling 'hard' like a horn.
Connections
Word parts
horn
root
hard material growing on the heads of some animals
y
suffix
characterized by or resembling
Related across languages
German
hörnern
made of horn
Dutch
hoornachtig
horn-like
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Related to horny
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.