Bullhorn

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbʊlˌhɔɹn/

Definitions

1. A portable loudspeaker system that amplifies audio for broadcasting a voice across distances, often utilized in demonstrations or crowd control
2. An electronic sound amplification device that projects speech loudly to reach far-off audiences, commonly seen in protests or rallies
3. A handheld device designed to boost and project a person's voice over a large area

Etymology: The bullhorn is named for an animal's horn, though the object has nothing to do with bulls' horns in shape or sound. The compound is simply "bull" plus "horn," and the device it names is an electric megaphone, a loudspeaker shaped like a cone that projects a speaker's voice across a crowd or street. The word has been in use since the 1950s, a period when portable public-address equipment was becoming common at rallies, parades, and sporting events. The logic of the name is the funnel shape. A megaphone's flared cone resembles a horn, and the "bull" most likely signals the size and force of the sound it throws, the way a bull is a large, powerful animal. Earlier loud-hailing devices were already called megaphones, so "bullhorn" arrived as a more colloquial, punchy alternative for the handheld electric version.

Synonyms: megaphone, loudspeaker, amplifier