blackthorn

American  

[blak-thawrn] / ˈblækˌθɔrn /

noun

1. a shrub or tree of the genus Crataegus, as C. calpodendron.

2. a walking stick made of a blackthorn tree or shrub.

3. Also called sloe.  a much-branched, thorny, Old World shrub, Prunus spinosa, having white flowers and small plumlike fruits.

4. pear haw.

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blackthorn British  

/ ˈblækˌθɔːn /

noun

1. Also called: sloe.  a thorny Eurasian rosaceous shrub, Prunus spinosa , with black twigs, white flowers, and small sour plumlike fruits

2. a walking stick made from its wood

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Etymology

Origin of blackthorn

First recorded in 1350–1400, blackthorn is from Middle English blak thorn. See black, thorn

Example Sentences

The holly, blackthorn, hazel and other native species provide corridors for wildlife as well as absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow.

From BBC • Nov. 3, 2025

And this is intriguing, because magpies typically construct their roofs out of hawthorn, blackthorn, and rose stems.

From National Geographic • Jul. 17, 2023

The hole has the only tree at Royal St. George’s, a stunted blackthorn right of the green.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 9, 2021

As David O’Hara began reading the third chapter, a man leaning on a blackthorn stick pulled out his copy of Ulysses to read along.

From New York Times • Jun. 16, 2017

Sitting in the entrance, he tried to make the blackthorn wand levitate small stones at his feet; but his magic still seemed clumsier and less powerful than it had done before.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling