hornbook

noun

horn·​book ˈhȯrn-ˌbu̇k How to pronounce hornbook (audio)
1
: a child's primer consisting of a sheet of parchment or paper protected by a sheet of transparent horn
2
: a rudimentary treatise

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1595, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hornbook was circa 1595

Dictionary Entries Near hornbook

horn block

hornbook

Horn, Cape

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Hornbook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hornbook. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on hornbook

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hornbook

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Point of View: It's Personal

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

More Words with Remarkable Origins

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
confused man standing between two doors
One Word or Two? Take the Quiz! Some words just need a little space.