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corna

horns (cuckold symbol); the evil eye sign

noun KOR-nah Rare
Arts & Culture Traditions

Origin: Plural of corno (horn), from Latin cornu.

Also means

horns of an animal

Usage Note

Corna is the plural of corno (horn) and has two prominent cultural meanings in Italian. First, fare le corna (to make the horns hand gesture — index and little finger extended) wards off bad luck or the evil eye (malocchio). Second, portare le corna means to be cheated on by a partner — a deeply embedded idiom for infidelity. The singular il corno is rarely used alone; corna is the idiomatic form for both gestures and infidelity.

Examples

"Ha scoperto che il marito le faceva le corna."

Natural Translation

She found out her husband was cheating on her.

Literal Translation

She-discovered that the husband to-her was-making the horns.

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