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.

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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.

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Thorn ¹ British  

/ toːrn /

noun

1. the German name for Toruń

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thorn ² 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 )

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thorn Scientific  

/ thôrn /

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

2. Compare spine

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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

Figuring out where to file taxes and how to invest in a new country can be a big thorn for expats.

From MarketWatch

Carey is proving a thorn in England's side and a third Test century came with crisp drives and aggression against Jacks.

From BBC

At Cold Comfort Farm “dawn crept over the Downs like a sinister white animal, followed by the snarling cries of a wind eating its way between the black boughs of the thorns.”

From The Wall Street Journal

He finally departed on the verge of dusk, caught by England's captain Ben Stokes, who would have taken great relief at removing the greatest thorn in his team's side.

From BBC

For now, she tries to be a thorn in their side, showing up to meetings.

From Salon