Bullhorns

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A loudspeaking device used to amplify a person's voice in outdoor settings
2. A portable sound system commonly employed in public announcements or rallies to ensure voices carry over distances
3. A conical loudspeaker often used by speakers or protestors to project sound to a larger audience

Etymology: "Bullhorns" is the plural of "bullhorn," a compound of "bull" and "horn." The loudspeaker takes its name from its shape: a funnel-like cone that tapers outward, the way a horn does. The "bull" part is the familiar animal, and the image of a bull's horn, with its wide mouth and narrow base, is what gave the device its name. Earlier loudspeaking horns were called speaking trumpets and megaphones, so "bullhorn" is a newer, more informal name for the same kind of device, first attested in the 1950s. The plural form simply counts more than one of these devices, as with any countable noun, so it carries no separate history of its own.

Synonyms: megaphones, speakers, loudspeakers, transmitters, horns