different between horny vs horsy

English

Etymology

From Middle English horny, equivalent to horn +? -y. Compare German hornig. Compare also Dutch hoornachtig, Swedish hornaktig, Old English hyrni? (“angular”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?h?.ni/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?h??.ni/
• Rhymes: -??(?)ni

Adjective

horny (comparative hornier, superlative horniest)

1. Hard or bony, like an animal's horn.

   Synonyms: callous, coarse, hardened, rough

   • 1951, C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian, Collins, 1998, Chapter 6,

     Two Dwarfs were at the bellows, another was holding a piece of red-hot metal on the anvil with a pair of tongs, a fourth was hammering it, and two, wiping their horny little hands on a greasy cloth, were coming forward to meet the visitors.

2. Having the hard consistency and pale colour of an animal's horn.
3. Having horns.

   Synonym: horned
4. (informal) Sexually aroused.

   Synonyms: randy, toey, in heat, excited; see also Thesaurus:randy
5. (informal) Sexually arousing.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:sexy

   • 2003, Peep Show (TV series), Funeral (episode)

     Mark Corrigan: She [the dentist] should have to wear a mask for this kind of thing. Reagan or Batman or... actually she'd look pretty horny as Batman... Jesus, no, don't!

Derived terms

• (sexually aroused): horniness

Descendants

• (sexually aroused): ? Irish: adharcach (semantic loan)

Translations

Further reading

• “horny”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.
• “horny”, in Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary, (Please provide a date or year).

English

Alternative forms

• horsie
• horsey

Etymology

horse +? -y.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?h??si/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?h??si/
• Rhymes: -??(?)si

Adjective

horsy (comparative horsier, superlative horsiest)

1. Of or relating to horses.

   Synonym: (rare) horsely
2. Of a person or people, involved in breeding or riding horses.
3. Of a graphic design or typographical treatment which is clumsy, clunky, or unrefined.

Translations

Noun

horsy (plural horsies)

1. (childish or endearing) A child's term or name for a horse.
2. A game where a child rides on the back of another, who is on all fours.
   • 2000, Anique Devoe - I'm Ready

     When he got in the house, if I'd left him to read his newspaper in quiet, then he'd play horsey with me, riding me around the house on his back; I'd put a pillow on his back for my saddle

   • 2003, Bill Phillips - Eating for Life: Your Guide to Great Health, Fat Loss and Increased Energy

     When you get down on the floor and play “horsey”, you are giving yourself a heck of a workout – and it is fun for the kids!

   • 2005 Larry L. Meyer - No Paltry Thing: Memoirs Of A Geezer Dad

     The best barometer of my mounting physical limitations was the game of horsy. In my stallion's prime I could pack three little boys on my back at once and do the length of the hall in no time flat.

Synonyms

• gee-gee

Translations

Anagrams

• shory