# horning

Pronunciation: say "HORN-ing" US /ˈhɔɹnɪŋ/, UK /ˈhɔːnɪŋ/

## Verb

1. Present participle of horn. — present participle and gerund of horn
   - Simple: The -ing form of horn. Use it after am, is, are, was or were, or to name the action.
   - _The bull was horning the wooden fence in a rage._
   - _She accused him of horning in on her business deal._

## Noun

2. The activity of sounding a train's horn.
   - Simple: Blowing a train's horn to warn people or signal others.
   - _The horning at the railroad crossing echoed across the valley._
   - _Loud horning warned drivers as the freight train approached the junction._
3. The crescent appearance of the Moon as it waxes.
   - Simple: The thin curved shape of the Moon as it grows brighter.
   - _The horning of the Moon hung low over the harbor at dusk._
   - _Farmers once timed their planting by the Moon's horning._
4. A noisy mock serenade played on tin horns and other discordant instruments to express public disapproval. *(US)*
   - Simple: A noisy show with tin horns and other loud instruments, done to shame someone.
   - _The unpopular couple endured a raucous horning that lasted past midnight._
   - _Townsfolk staged a horning to shame the man who had wronged the widow._
5. The legal issuing of letters of horning, an order compelling a debtor to pay. *(dialectal, Scotland)*
   - Simple: The act of giving out a legal order that forces a person to pay a debt.
   - _The merchant resorted to horning when the debtor ignored every demand for payment._
   - _Under old Scots law, horning compelled a debtor to pay or face outlawry._

## Origin

From Middle English hornynge, equivalent to horn plus the suffix -ing.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/horning (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).