“unicorns” is a form of
unicorn
UK /ˈjuː.nɪ.kɔːn/ · US /ˈju.nɪ.kɔɹn/ noun, verb, adjective
Forms unicorns unicorning unicorned
- noun (mythology) A mythical, horselike creature with a horn on its forehead, supposed to be extremely rare and to be drawn to virgins and other chaste maidens.
- noun (biblical) In various Bible translations, used to render the Latin unicornis or rhinoceros (representing Hebrew רְאֵם): a reem or wild ox.
- noun Any large beetle having a horn-like prominence on the head or prothorax, especially the Hercules beetle, Dynastes tityus.
- noun A caterpillar, Schizura unicornis, with a large thorn-like spine on the back near its head.
- noun The kamichi, or unicorn bird.
- noun A Siberian unicorn, †Elasmotherium sibiricum.
- noun An Asian unicorn, or saola, Pseudoryx nghetinhensis.
- noun (military) A howitzer.
- verb (slang) To participate in a sexual threesome as a bisexual addition to an established heterosexual couple.
- verb (finance) To exceed a valuation of one billion U.S. dollars, while solely backed by venture capitalists.
- adjective Having one horn.
- adjective Rare and hard to find.
Synonyms
monoceros black swan hen's tooth lightning in a bottle one in a million rara avis rare bird rarity rocking horse shit purple squirrel
Etymology
From Middle English unicorne, unikorn, from Anglo-Norman unicorne, Old French unicorne, and their source, Latin ūnicornis, (from ūnus (“one”) + cornū (“horn”)), a calque of Ancient Greek μονόκερως (monókerōs, “having one horn”, (from μόνος (mónos, “one”) + κέρας (kéras, “horn”))). Displaced native Old English ānhorn, itself a calque of the Latin term. First attested in the early 13th c.
* Other senses from either rarity (e.g., possessing multiple skills) or by physical resemblance to having a horn (e.g., howitzer). The finance sense was coined by American investor Aileen Lee and first used in a 2013 article.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A fabulous animal with one horn; the monoceros; --often represented in heraldry as a supporter.
- noun A two-horned animal of some unknown kind, so called in the Authorized Version of the Scriptures.
Etymology [OE. unicorne, F. unicorne, L. unicornis one- horned, having a single horn; unus one + cornu a horn; cf. L. unicornuus a unicorn. See One, and Horn.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “unicorn”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details