Search the Dictionary

Composed or made of horn, or of a substance resembling horn; of the nature of horn. "The horny . . . coat of the eye." Ray.

Having the hands horny and callous from labor.

Any North American river chub of the genus Hybopsis, esp. H. biguttatus.

Full of thorns or spines; rough with thorns; spiny; as, a thorny wood; a thorny tree; a thorny crown.

The candied leaf stalks of angelica. Angelica tree, a thorny North American shrub (Aralia spinosa), called also Hercules' club.

A thorny shrub yielding a fragrant oil. Ecclus. xxiv. 15.

meet purposely with the view of mastering, as an obstacle, difficulty, or the like. The thorny wilds the woodmen fierce assail. Pope.

1. (Zoöl.) (a) The bill or nib of a bird, consisting of a horny sheath, covering the jaws. The form varied much according to the food and habits of the bird, and is largely used in the classification of birds. (b) A similar bill in other animals, as the turtles. (c) The long projecting sucking mouth of some insects, an…

A spreading thorny shrub or small tree (Prunus spinosa), with blackish bark, and bearing little black plums, which are called sloes; the sloe.

Having an undivided, horny, bootlike covering; -- said of the tarsus of some birds.

Full of brakes; abounding with brambles, shrubs, or ferns; rough; thorny. In the woods and braky glens. W. Browne.

enus Rubus, including the raspberry and blackberry. Hence: Any rough, prickly shrub. The thorny brambles, and embracing bushes. Shak.

Full of briers; thorny.

A forest composed of stunted trees and thorny bushes, found in areas of small rainfall in Brazil.

n tube, when pursued or alarmed, in order to confuse their enemies. Their shell is a thin horny plate, within the flesh of back, shaped very much like a quill pen. In America they are called squids. See Squid.

The horny basal portion of a feather; the barrel or quill.

stinate and often incurable disease of a horse's foot, characterized by separation of the horny portion and the development of fungoid growths; -- usually resulting from neglected thrush.

s. It is smaller and stouter than the ostrich. Its head is armed with a kind of helmet of horny substance, consisting of plates overlapping each other, and it has a group of long sharp spines on each wing which are used as defensive organs. It is a shy bird, and runs with great rapidity. Other species inhabit New Guine…

cataphract, or armor of plates, scales, etc.; or with that which corresponds to this, as horny or bony plates, hard, callous skin, etc.

A genus of poisonous African serpents, with a horny scale over each eye; the horned viper.