3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Cornet  \Cor"net\  (k?r"n?t),  n.  [F.  cornet,  m.  (for  senses  1  & 
  2),  cornette,  f.  &  m.  (for  senses  3  &  4),  dim.  of  corne  horn, 
  L.  cornu.  See  {Horn}.] 
  1.  (Mus.) 
  a  An  obsolete  rude  reed  instrument  (Ger.  Zinken),  of  the 
  oboe  family. 
  b  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-[`a]-piston}. 
  c  A  certain  organ  stop  or  register. 
 
  2.  A  cap  of  paper  twisted  at  the  end  used  by  retailers  to 
  inclose  small  wares.  --Cotgrave. 
 
  3.  (Mil.) 
  a  A  troop  of  cavalry;  --  so  called  from  its  being 
  accompanied  by  a  cornet  player.  [Obs.]  ``A  body  of 
  five  cornets  of  horse.''  --Clarendon. 
  b  The  standard  of  such  a  troop.  [Obs.] 
  c  The  lowest  grade  of  commissioned  officer  in  a  British 
  cavalry  troop,  who  carried  the  standard.  The  office 
  was  abolished  in  1871. 
 
  4.  A  headdress: 
  a  A  square  cap  anciently  worn  as  a  mark  of  certain 
  professions. 
  b  A  part  of  a  woman's  headdress,  in  the  16th  century. 
 
  5.  [Cf.  {Coronet}.]  (Far.)  See  {Coronet},  2. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  cornet 
  n  :  a  brass  musical  instrument  with  a  brilliant  tone;  has  a 
  narrow  tube  and  a  flared  bell  and  is  played  by  means  of 
  valves  [syn:  {horn},  {trumpet}] 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Cornet 
  Heb.  shophar,  "brightness,"  with  reference  to  the  clearness  of 
  its  sound  (1  Chr.  15:28;  2  Chr.  15:14;  Ps  98:6;  Hos.  5:8).  It 
  is  usually  rendered  in  the  Authorized  Version  "trumpet."  It 
  denotes  the  long  and  straight  horn,  about  eighteen  inches  long. 
  The  words  of  Joel,  "Blow  the  trumpet,"  literally,  "Sound  the 
  cornet,"  refer  to  the  festival  which  was  the  preparation  for  the 
  day  of  Atonement.  In  Dan.  3:5,  7,  10,  15,  the  word  (keren)  so 
  rendered  is  a  curved  horn.  The  word  cornet"  in  2  Sam.  6:5  (Heb. 
  mena'an'im,  occurring  only  here)  was  some  kind  of  instrument 
  played  by  being  shaken  like  the  Egyptian  sistrum,  consisting  of 
  rings  or  bells  hung  loosely  on  iron  rods. 
 

browse words by letter
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
or search   thesauri dictionary search words