/ˈkɔːɹ.nəɹ/·noun·c. 1290 in English; Latin 'cornu' attested throughout the classical period·Established
Origin
'Corner' comes from Latin 'cornu' (horn) — a point jutting out, linking it to 'unicorn' and 'cornucopia.'
Definition
A place or angle where two sides, lines, or edges meet; a secluded or remote place; a difficult or awkward situation from which there is no easy escape.
The Full Story
Anglo-Norman French13th centurywell-attested
English 'corner' comes from Anglo-Norman French 'cornere,' derived from Old French 'corne' (horn, corner, projecting angle), from Latin 'cornu' (horn, projecting point, tip, wing of an army). The semantic pathruns from the pointed projection of an animal's horn to any projecting angle or point where two surfaces meet. Latin 'cornu' descends from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- (horn, the top of the head
Did you know?
Theword 'corner' is literally derived from 'horn' — a corner is where surfaces jut out like a horn. This makes 'corner,' 'unicorn' (one horn), 'cornucopia' (horn of plenty), and 'cornet' (little horn) all members of the same etymological family.
'horn' (Old English, Gothic, Old Norse 'horn'); and Sanskrit 'śṛṅga' (horn, peak, summit — whence mountain names in the Himalayas). Latin 'cornu' also meant the wing of an
of a crescent moon. A corner is thus etymologically a horn-shaped protrusion — the pointed place where two walls or roads converge, jutting out like the tip of an animal's most conspicuous feature. Key roots: *ḱerh₂- (Proto-Indo-European: "horn, head, uppermost part"), cornu (Latin: "horn").