alpenhorn

[ al-puhn-hawrn ]

noun

1. a long, powerful horn of wood or bark, with a cupped mouthpiece and a curved bell at opposite ends, used by Swiss herders and mountaineers.

alpenhorn

/ ˈælpənˌhɔːn /

noun

1. another name for alphorn

Word History and Origins

Origin of alpenhorn¹

First recorded in 1860–65; from German, equivalent to Alpen Alps + Horn horn

Example Sentences

It is different because there are 100-year-old Swiss artifacts on the walls and shelves - old family photos of the original Swiss immigrants, an old crank phone hangs on the wall, literally hundreds of books in both English and Swiss-German and a long wooden alpenhorn.

From Washington Times

Ranz-des-vaches, rong′-dā-v�sh′, n. a melody of the Swiss, played on the alpenhorn.

From Project Gutenberg

On the last day of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, attendees gather for lunch on the hotel's terrace, serenaded by alpenhorn.

From Time

It's got one nightclub, where an old man in lederhosen plays an alpenhorn.

From The Guardian

Other selections: a concerto in which the piano soloist is under the impression that he is supposed to be playing Grieg, while the conductor is concentrating on Tchaikovsky and the orchestra is working on Roll Out the Barrel; a second concerto, written by Mozart's father Leopold for alpenhorn and played on two lengths of garden hose by Britain's distinguished Hornist Dennis Brain; a set of variations for wheezy winds, featuring Hoffnung himself playing a tuba so big that it runs on wheels and requires built-in bellows to supply enough wind.

From Time Magazine Archive