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buckthorn

[ buhk-thawrn ]

noun

  1. any of several, sometimes thorny trees or shrubs belonging to the genus Rhamnus, especially R. frangula, the bark of which is used in medicine. Compare buckthorn family.
  2. a tree or shrub belonging to the genus Bumelia, of the sapodilla family, especially B. lycioides, a thorny tree having elliptic leaves and large clusters of white flowers, common in the southern and part of the central U.S.


buckthorn

/ ˈbʌkˌθɔːn /

noun

  1. any of several thorny small-flowered shrubs of the genus Rhamnus , esp the Eurasian species R. cathartica , whose berries were formerly used as a purgative: family Rhamnaceae See also sea buckthorn
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of buckthorn1

1570–80; buck 1 + thorn, rendering New Latin cervi spina
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Word History and Origins

Origin of buckthorn1

C16: from buck 1(from the spiny branches, imagined as resembling antlers) + thorn
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Example Sentences

"She's too stylish to be good for much," being the excellent Mrs. Buckthorn's severe corollary.

Rhamnus, ram′nus, n. a genus of polypetalous shrubs and trees, including the buckthorn.

I gave him a dose of syrup of buckthorn, and put him on a diet of pot-liquor and vegetables till further orders.

Jacinto Quesada drew back from the entangled buckthorn and genista.

A very fugitive pigment, prepared from the juice of buckthorn berries.

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bucktailbuckthorn family