whitethorn
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of whitethorn
1225–75; Middle English, translation of Latin alba spīna
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Then brush, predominantly whitethorn and manzanita, interspersed in waist-high thickets.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 28, 2025
Manzanita and mountain whitethorn — chaparral typical at lower elevations in California — take root in ashes and can dominate the forest.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 25, 2023
But it’s important to try, he said, ticking off the reasons: Without restoration and resilience work, this piece of forest will likely convert to shrubland dominated by manzanita, whitethorn and chokecherry.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2023
After the 2007 Moonlight Fire in Plumas National Forest, dense stands of chaparral whitethorn and greenleaf manzanita grew back, rather than trees.
From Salon • Dec. 1, 2021
At the bottom of the packet was a faded sprig of whitethorn.
From The Passionate Elopement by MacKenzie, Compton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
