Forms: 4–9 cornette, 5 cornett, cornete, 8 (cornit), 6– cornet. [a. OF. cornet = Pr. cornet, It. cornetto dim. of Rom. corno, corn, cor:—L. cornū horn.]
1. A wind-instrument: † a. In early times a wind-instrument made of a horn or resembling a horn; a horn (obs.). † b. A rude musical instrument of the oboe class (obs.). c. Now a brass musical instrument of the trumpet class, with valves or pistons for producing notes additional to the natural harmonics; also called cornet-à-piston (see d), and CORNOPEAN.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 1758. With cornettes and clarions, and clergialle notes.
a. 1400. Octouian, 68. Trompys, taborus and cornettys crye. Ibid., 1070. Whan he was on hors y-sette, Men touched trumpes and cornette.
1530. Palsgr., 209/1. Cornet, a horne, cornet.
c. 1610. T. Randolph, Eclogue, in Farr, S. P. Jas. I. (1848), 282. When we all haue slept, Pan’s cornets blowes, and the great sheepshear’s kept.
1611. Bible, 2 Sam. vi. 5. Dauid and all the house of Israel played before the Lord … on Psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cimbals.
1611. Coryat, Crudities, 252. Sometimes sixteene played together vpon their instruments, ten Sagbuts, foure Cornets, and two Violedegambaes.
1793. Southey, Triumph of Woman, 108. Shrill were heard the flute, The cornet, sackbut, dulcimer, and lute.
1843. Prescott, Mexico, VI. i. (1864), 338. They marched by the sound of atabal and cornet.
1888. Besant, Inner House, xix. 198. Fifes, cornets, and all kinds of musical instruments.
transf. 1599. T. M[oufet], Silkwormes, 36. As doth the summer gnat Her little cornet which our eares doth fill.
d. Cornet à piston, à pistons [both forms also in F.]: = 1 c; also the instrumentalist who plays on the cornet.
1836. Mus. World, 3 June I. 192. The cornetta or cornet de piston. Ibid. (1837), 29 Dec. VII. 254. The Cornopean, known in France as the Cornet-à-pistons.
1843. Alb. Smith, Phys. Evening Parties (1846), 67. The cornet-à-piston would long ere this have dropped fast asleep.
1856. Mrs. C. Clarke, trans. Berlioz’ Instrument., 149. The cornet-a-pistons is very much the fashion in France at present.
1879. S. Lanier, in Scribner’s Mag., XIX. 902/2. The trombones, the trumpets and the horns, with perhaps a cornet-a-piston.
e. The name given to several kinds of organ-stops.
Solo cornet, a stop of a loud and powerful tone formerly used on the great organ. Echo cornet, a stop of soft tone; ‘still frequently applied to a compound stop of light tone in swell organs’ (Grove). Hence cornet voluntaries (see quot.).
1660. Organ Specif., in Grove, Dict. Mus., II. 591/1. Great Organ … 9. Cornet, to middle C, 3 ranks … Eccho Organ … 18. Cornet, 2 ranks.
1776. Sir J. Hawkins, Hist. Music, IV. I. x. 147. The compound stops [on an organ] are the Cornet … and sundry others.
1852. Seidel, Organ, 93. The cornet is the only mixture-register which does not repeat. Ibid. Cornet is also the name of an old, obsolete reed-register in the pedale.
1880. Grove, Dict. Mus., s.v., The great organ Solo Cornet comprised either 5, 4, or 3 ranks of pipes. Ibid., The Echo Cornet, of soft tone … was of 3 ranks, or 4 at most. Ibid., ‘Cornet Voluntaries’ … consisted of runs and twirls for the right hand, played in single notes, first on the louder stop and then repeated on the softer.
2. A piece of paper rolled in a conical form and twisted at the apex, used for wrapping up groceries, etc. † Also a conical filter-paper.
1530. Palsgr., 209/1. Cornet to put spice in.
1580. Hollyband, Treas. Fr. Tong, Vn Cornet de papier comme d’Apoticaire, a cornet or Coffin, such as Grocers make of paper to put spice in.
1611. Cotgr., Cartouche, the cornet of paper whereinto Apothecaries and Grocers put the parcels they retaile.
1686. W. Harris, trans. Lemery’s Chym. (ed. 3), 496. Separate the Oil in a Funnel [printed Tunnel] lined with a cornet of brown Paper.
1725. Bradley, Fam. Dict., II. s.v. Nicotiana, The People carry about their Necks, small Funnels or Cornets made of the Leaves of Palm.
1835. Tait’s Mag., II. 456. A fresh roll, and some salt screwed in a cornet of paper.
1880. Darwin, in Life & Lett. (1887), III. 221. To carry the insects in their paper ‘cornets.’
† b. (See quot.) Obs.
1731. Bailey, vol. II. Cornet [with Chymists], a paper head in form of a cone to cover a chymical vessel.
† 3. A piece of bread cut in a conical form. Obs.
1467. Inthronization of Abp. Nevill, in Warner, Antiq. Culin. (1791), 101. Then uncover your Salt, and with a cornet of Breade touch it in four partes. Ibid., 102. He taketh the assay with cornetts of Trencher Bread of his owne cuttyng.
† 4. A farrier’s instrument formerly used for blood-letting. Obs.
1580. Blundevil, Horsemanship, IV. 62. First pare the hooue, and get out the grauell with a cornet, or drawer.
1610. Markham, Masterp., II. lxxi. 337. With a cornet and a quill, blow the skinne from the flesh aboue the bone.
1639. T. de Grey, Compl. Horsem., 75. Open the same round about with your cornet.
1721. in Bailey.
5. A flask or other vessel in shape like a horn.
1686. W. Harris, trans. Lemery’s Chym., I. ix. (ed. 3), 265–6. Pour out your matter into a Cornet or Iron Mortar [F. un creuset de fer]. Ibid. Pour it into the Iron Cornet [F. le cornet de fer].
1725. Bradley, Fam. Dict., II. s.v. Suffusion, Give it the Horse to drink, or else make him swallow it with a Cornet.
6. Metal. In gold assaying: The small flat coil into which the gold-and-silver alloy is rolled after the process of cupelling, preparatory to its being boiled in nitric acid to free it from the silver; the small coil of purified gold remaining after this process. Also cornette.
1800. trans. Lagrange’s Chem., II. 145. The solution must be cautiously decanted, taking care that the cornet does not fall.
1879. G. Gladstone, in Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IV. 191/1. [The gold] is then … rolled up by hand into a spiral form. ‘The Cornette,’ as this is called, is then put into a flask and boiled in nitric acid.
1882. Watts, Dict. Chem., Gold Assay, II. 935. Withdrawing the crucibles from the furnace we find in each a small cornet of bright gold.
7. In various isolated senses, chiefly technical:
† a. A small cucumber (see quot. 1658). † b. The name of a fish (see quot. 1678). c. Dressmaking. ‘The cuff of a sleeve opening like the large end of a trumpet’ (Mrs. Leach). d. ‘Term for the individual scaly pieces of the rattle-snake’ (Mayne, Exp. Lex., 1860). e. A small instrument for insertion in the ear (see quot. 1874).
1658. Evelyn, Fr. Gard. (1675), 283. Which they call cornets or gerkins, because we choose those which resemble little crooked horns.
1678. Phillips, s.v., There is also a sort of shell Fish called in Latin Buccinum, in English Cornet, and both from the figure of a winding horn, which it resembles.
1721. Bailey, Cornet … also a Fish resembling a Horn.
1847. Yearsley, Deafness, 175. The Ear-cornets which are fixed into the ears and retained there by metallic springs … leave the hands at liberty.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., Cornet, an auricular instrument which does not protrude beyond the external ear. It is used in cases of obstruction of the meatus auditorius … and is made of gold or silver.
¶ 8. As a translation of Lat. cornu in sense ‘wing of an army.’
1614. Raleigh, Hist. World, II. V. iii. § 21. 496. He placed them … all in one front with the Hastati, and made of them his two Cornets.
1639. Horn & Robotham, Gate Lang. Unl., lxvii. § 708. The forces … are cast into a squadron, foure-square, fortified with wings or cornets [cornibus munitam].
9. Comb., as cornet-horn = CORNET 4; cornet-pot, a pot in which the ‘cornet’ of gold undergoes part of the assaying process (see 6); cornet-stop = 1 e; cornet-winder, one who winds or blows a horn.
a. 1661. Holyday, Juvenal, 22. Four hundred, as his Portion, Gracchus gave To a dear Cornet-winder.
1741. Compl. Fam. Piece, III. 456. Bleed him in both his Neck Veins … with the Point of your Cornet-horn.
1869. Eng. Mech., 17 Dec., 332/1. I have tried the assay pots (cornet pots).
