Kerátion (κεράτιον) literally means 'little horn' and refers to the carob pod — seed pods of the carob tree used as animal fodder. It appears once in the NT, in one of Jesus' most powerful parables.
In Luke 15:16, the prodigal son longs to eat the kerátion — the pods the pigs were eating. A Jewish young man feeding unclean animals and desiring their food has reached the lowest imaginable point. But it is precisely here — at the carob pods — that he 'comes to his senses' (v.17). The kerátion is the turning point, the moment of repentance. Often, God uses the lowest circumstances to awaken the soul to its need for the Father. The Father didn't chase — He waited, watched, and ran to meet the returning son.