buckthorn
[ buhk-thawrn ]
/ ˈbʌkˌθɔrn /
noun
any of several, sometimes thorny trees or shrubs belonging to the genus Rhamnus, especially R. frangula, the bark of which is used in medicine.
Compare buckthorn family.
a tree or shrub belonging to the genus Bumelia, of the sapodilla family, especially B. lycioides, a thorny tree having elliptic leaves and large clusters of white flowers, common in the southern and part of the central U.S.
Words nearby buckthorn
buckshot,
buckskin,
buckskins,
buckstay,
bucktail,
buckthorn,
buckthorn family,
bucktooth,
buckwheat,
buckwheat cake,
buckwheat coal
Example sentences from the Web for buckthorn
British Dictionary definitions for buckthorn
buckthorn
/ (ˈbʌkˌθɔːn) /
noun
any of several thorny small-flowered shrubs of the genus Rhamnus, esp the Eurasian species R. cathartica, whose berries were formerly used as a purgative: family Rhamnaceae
See also sea buckthorn
Word Origin for buckthorn
C16: from
buck
1 (from the spiny branches, imagined as resembling antlers) +
thorn