thorn

¹ American  

[thawrn] / θɔrn /

noun

1. a sharp excrescence on a plant, especially a sharp-pointed aborted branch; spine; prickle.

2. any of various thorny shrubs or trees, especially the hawthorns belonging to the genus Crataegus, of the rose family.

3. the wood of any of these trees.

4. 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.

5. something that wounds, annoys, or causes discomfort.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to prick with a thorn; vex.

idioms

1. thorn in one's side / flesh, a source of continual irritation or suffering.

   That child is a thorn in the teacher's side.

Thorn ² American  

[tawrn] / tɔrn /

noun

1. German name of Toruń.

---

thorn ¹ British  

/ θɔːn /

noun

1. a sharp pointed woody extension of a stem or leaf Compare prickle

2. 1. any of various trees or shrubs having thorns, esp the hawthorn

   2. the wood of any of these plants

3. short for thorn moth

4. a Germanic character of runic origin Þ used in Old and Modern Icelandic to represent the voiceless dental fricative sound of th, as in thin, bath. Its use in phonetics for the same purpose is now obsolete See theta

5. this same character as used in Old and Middle English as an alternative to edh, but indistinguishable from it in function or sound Compare edh

6. zoology any of various sharp spiny parts

7. a source of irritation (esp in the phrases a thorn in one's side or flesh )

---

Thorn ² British  

/ toːrn /

noun

1. the German name for Toruń

---

thorn Scientific  

/ thôrn /

1. A short, hard, pointed part of a stem or branch of a woody plant.

2. Compare spine

---

Other Word Forms

• thornless adjective
• thornlike adjective
• unthorn verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of thorn

before 900; Middle English (noun), Old English; cognate with Dutch doorn, German Dorn, Old Norse thorn, Gothic thaurnus

Example Sentences

Though the thorns had scraped her wings, they were leathery and too tough to be easily pierced.

From Literature

Before becoming premier Takaichi was a regular at the Yasukuni shrine, a flashpoint site honouring Japan's war dead that has long been a thorn in regional ties.

From Barron's

Supply shortages in the memory market have been a thorn in the side of technology companies, and Qualcomm is feeling the pain as well.

From MarketWatch

Both had tails that ended in a ball of thorns and expressions of deepest concentration.

From Literature

While the business will continue to be a thorn in Elevance’s side, “we have reflected that in our planning assumptions,” Boudreaux said.

From Barron's