# unicorn

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈjuː.nɪ.kɔːn/ · frequency rank #14,241

## Definitions
1. A mythical horse, widely believed to exist until the 17th century, with a single, straight, spiraled horn projecting from its forehead.
2. In various Bible translations, used to render the Latin unicornis or rhinoceros (representing Hebrew רְאֵם): a reem or wild ox.
3. Certain animals:
4. Certain animals:
5. Certain animals:
6. Certain animals:
7. Certain animals:
8. A howitzer.
9. Someone or something that is rare and hard to find.
10. Someone or something that is rare and hard to find.
11. Someone or something that is rare and hard to find.
12. Someone or something that is rare and hard to find.
13. Someone or something that is rare and hard to find.
14. Being many (especially pastel) colours; multicoloured.
15. A 15th-century Scottish gold coin worth 18 shillings, bearing the image of a unicorn.

## Etymology
From Middle English unicorne, unikorn, from Anglo-Norman unicorne, Old French unicorne, and their source, Latin ūnicornis, from ūnus (“one”) + cornū (“horn”). Displaced native Old English ānhorn, itself a calque.
Other senses from either rarity (e.g., possessing multiple skills) or by physical resemblance to having a horn (e.g., howitzer). The finance sense was coined by American investor Aileen Lee and first used in a 2013 article.

## Easily confused with
- **union** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/unicorn-vs-union)
- **UNISON** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/unicorn-vs-unison)
- **uniform** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/unicorn-vs-uniform)
- **unborn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/unborn-vs-unicorn)
- **Unicode** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/unicode-vs-unicorn)

## Common misspellings (10)
`nuicorn`, `uincorn`, `unciorn`, `uniccorn`, `uniconr`, `unicornn`, `unicorrn`, `unicron`, `uniocrn`, `unnicorn`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/unicorn