crown of thorns


noun
  1. a succulent flowering plant, Euphorbia milii, of the spurge family, with densely spiny stems that climb and scramble over other vegetation: native to Madagascar, the species and its numerous varieties are widely cultivated for gardens and as houseplants.

  1. a painful burden, as of suffering, guilt, anxiety, etc.: from the wreath of thorns placed on Jesus' head to mock Him before He was crucified. Matthew 27:29; Mark 15:17; John 19:2, 5.

Origin of crown of thorns

1
First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English

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British Dictionary definitions for crown-of-thorns

crown-of-thorns

noun
  1. a starfish, Acanthaster planci, that has a spiny test and feeds on living coral in coral reefs

  2. Also called: Christ's thorn a thorny euphorbiaceous Madagascan shrub, Euphorbia milii var. splendens, cultivated as a hedging shrub or pot plant, having flowers with scarlet bracts

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

Cultural definitions for crown of thorns

crown of thorns

A mock crown, made from thorn branches, that Roman soldiers put on the head of Jesus before the Crucifixion. The soldiers also “bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews (see also Jews)!’”

Notes for crown of thorns

In common usage, a “crown of thorns” may be anything that causes intense suffering: “The jailed political leader bears her afflictions like a crown of thorns.” Similar to the expression “cross to bear.” (See Crucifixion.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.