thorn
[ thawrn ]
/ θɔrn /
noun
a sharp excrescence on a plant, especially a sharp-pointed aborted branch; spine; prickle.
any of various thorny shrubs or trees, especially the hawthorns belonging to the genus Crataegus, of the rose family.
the wood of any of these trees.
a runic character (þ), borrowed into the Latin alphabet and representing the initial th sounds in thin and they in Old English, or thin in modern Icelandic.
something that wounds, annoys, or causes discomfort.
verb (used with object)
to prick with a thorn; vex.
Idioms for thorn
thorn in one's side/flesh,
a source of continual irritation or suffering: That child is a thorn in the teacher's side.
Origin of thorn
before 900; Middle English (noun), Old English; cognate with Dutch
doorn, German
Dorn, Old Norse
thorn, Gothic
thaurnus
OTHER WORDS FROM thorn
thorn·less, adjective thorn·like, adjective un·thorn, verb (used with object)Words nearby thorn
Definition for thorn (2 of 2)
Example sentences from the Web for thorn
British Dictionary definitions for thorn (1 of 2)
thorn
/ (θɔːn) /
noun
Derived forms of thorn
thornless, adjectiveWord Origin for thorn
Old English; related to Old High German
dorn, Old Norse
thorn
British Dictionary definitions for thorn (2 of 2)
Scientific definitions for thorn
thorn
[ thôrn ]
A short, hard, pointed part of a stem or branch of a woody plant. Compare spine.