'unicorn' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'unicornis,' where 'uni-' meant 'one' and 'cornu' meant 'horn.'

'unicornis' transformed into the Old French word 'unicorne,' and eventually became the modern English word 'unicorn' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'a single-horned animal,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.