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al·pen·horn

(ălpən-hôrn′) or alp·horn (ălphôrn′)

A curved wooden horn, sometimes as long as 6 meters (20 feet), traditionally used by herders in the Alps to call cows to pasture.

[German : Alpen, Alps + Horn, horn (from Middle High German, from Old High German; see ker-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).]

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alpenhorn

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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