Christ's-thorn

American

[krahysts-thawrn] / ˈkraɪstsˌθɔrn /

noun

any of certain Old World thorny shrubs or small trees supposed to have been used for Christ's crown of thorns, as the Jerusalem thorn, Paliurus spina-christi, or the jujube, Ziziphus jujuba.

Christ's-thorn British

noun

any of several rhamnaceous plants of SW Asia, such as Paliurus spina-christi or the jujube, that have thorny stems and are popularly believed to have been used for Christ's Crown of Thorns

"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

Etymology

Origin of Christ's-thorn

1555–65; translation of Latin spīna Chrīstī

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.

Deciduous scrub, usually Christ's-thorn, or shiblijak, is also common in the lowlands, but it occurs much less frequently than maquis.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023