hornbook

[ hawrn-boo k ]
/ ˈhɔrnˌbʊk /
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noun

a leaf or page containing the alphabet, religious materials, etc., covered with a sheet of transparent horn and fixed in a frame with a handle, formerly used in teaching children to read.
a primer or book of rudiments.

Origin of hornbook

First recorded in 1580–90; horn + book

Words nearby hornbook

hornbag, hornbeam, hornbill, hornblende, hornblende schist, hornbook, hornby, horne, horned, horned cucumber, horned frog

Words related to hornbook

debut, installation, opening, addition, presentation, inauguration, launch, initiation, preface, establishment, influx, ingress, awakening, insertion, primer, lead, prelude, admittance, lead-in, induction

Example sentences from the Web for hornbook

British Dictionary definitions for hornbook

hornbook
/ (ˈhɔːnˌbʊk) /

noun

a page bearing a religious text or the alphabet, held in a frame with a thin window of flattened cattle horn over it
any elementary primer