thorn

¹

[ thawrn ]

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.

Thorn

²

[ tawrn ]

noun

1. German name of Toruń.

Thorn

¹

/ toːrn /

noun

1. See Toruń
   the German name for Toruń

thorn

²

/ θɔːn /

noun

1. See prickle
   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. See thorn moth
   short for thorn moth
4. See theta
   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. See edh
   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

/ thôrn /

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

Derived Forms

• ˈthornless, adjective

Other Words From

• thornless adjective
• thornlike adjective
• un·thorn verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of thorn¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of thorn¹

Old English; related to Old High German dorn, Old Norse thorn

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

Since iAd’s closure, Apple has become a thorn in the side of the online ad industry.

From Digiday

The Tampa Bay Rays gave New York a good fight early last season and were also a thorn in the Houston Astros’ side during the postseason.

From FiveThirtyEight

Some fish may be eating only the crown-of-thorns’ tiny, squishy larvae.

From Science News

Adorned with spikes and toxins, crown-of-thorns starfish aren’t an easy meal.

From Science News

Yet occasional starfish population booms suggest something is normally eating live, healthy crown-of-thorns and keeping their numbers in check.

From Science News

Thorn also posted a video on his personal YouTube page wherein he desk-dances to Taylor Swift.

From The Daily Beast

But the system that Battle represents is a constant thorn in their side.

From The Daily Beast

That freedom has been a thorn in the side of many cardinals who feel the sisters should be more conservative.

From The Daily Beast

A tabletop bronze of a boy pulling a thorn from his foot, made around 1500 by the Renaissance sculptor known as Antico.

From The Daily Beast

There are just as many covetable skirts and delicate silk tap shorts as there are thorn-cupped bras and barely-there g-strings.

From The Daily Beast

Taylor alludes to several made from the well known Glastonbury thorn.

From Project Gutenberg

I feel as if he were a little child crying with a thorn in his finger, and he had no mother to take it out.

From Project Gutenberg

He lay motionless in her lap, until the thorn suddenly let go and lay in Jess' hand.

From Project Gutenberg

Then she held the soft paw firmly with her left hand, and pulled steadily on the thorn with her right hand.

From Project Gutenberg

She received the infection on a part of the hand which had been previously in a slight degree injured by a scratch from a thorn.

From Project Gutenberg