Houyhnhnm
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈhɔɪnəm/
- Archaic
- As a Houyhnhnm, he lived by a strict code of ethics that emphasized kindness and wisdom.
- master Houyhnhnm
Examples
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The master Houyhnhnm remarks more than once on the uselessness of Gulliver's feet, nails, and hair, and he links it (tellingly) to the human love of "inventions": #
Academic text (2016) -
The Houyhnhnm society values reason and harmony above all, contrasting sharply with the chaotic Yahoos.
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The master Houyhnhnm's contemptuous account of the sources of human invention.
Academic text (2016) -
Houyhnhnm, I have an old-style Arabian who is a powerhouse.
Blog text (23) -
Once a Houyhnhnm, he was expelled from the august ranks of purely rational beings when he fell in love; but he retains an honorary title.
Blog text (25) -
In Jonathan Swift's 'Gulliver's Travels', the Houyhnhnm represents the ideal of rationality and governance.
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word Houyhnhnm was invented by Jonathan Swift for a race of intelligent horses in his book Gulliver's Travels. These calm, reasonable horses rule the wild Yahoos and live by strict order, so Houyhnhnm now refers to one of Swift's fictional, thinking horses and their ideal society.