hawthorn

[ haw-thawrn ]

/ ˈhɔˌθɔrn /

noun

any of numerous plants belonging to the genus Crataegus, of the rose family, typically a small tree with stiff thorns, certain North American species of which have white or pink blossoms and bright-colored fruits and are cultivated in hedges.

Nearby words

Origin of hawthorn

before 900; Middle English; Old English haguthorn, cognate with Middle Dutch hagedorn, Middle High German hagendorn, Old Norse hagthorn. See haw³, thorn

Related formshaw·thorn·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hawthorn

And yet he was conquered by a woman; the fairy Vivien enchanted the enchanter and kept him in a hawthorn bush under a spell.
The Life of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 and 2 (of 2)|Anatole France
When I was here some years ago it was May, the hawthorn hedges were in bloom, and the whole country was robed in tender green.
A Year in Europe|Walter W. Moore
He broke a twig from a hawthorn bush beside him, and sat twisting it in his fingers as he stared down the line of the gold bridge.
The Harvester|Gene Stratton Porter
A hawthorn in blossom exhibited its pink sheath; lilacs drooped, borne down by their foliage.
Bouvard and Pcuchet|Gustave Flaubert

It feeds from April to June on sallow, hawthorn, and many other plants.
The Moths of the British Isles, First Series|Richard South

British Dictionary definitions for hawthorn

hawthorn

/ (ˈhɔːˌθɔːn) /

noun

any of various thorny trees or shrubs of the N temperate rosaceous genus Crataegus, esp C. oxyacantha, having white or pink flowers and reddish fruits (haws)Also called (in Britain): may, may tree, mayflower

Word Origin for hawthorn

Old English haguthorn from haga hedge + thorn thorn; related to Old Norse hagthorn, Middle High German hagendorn, Dutch haagdoorn

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

Word Origin and History for hawthorn

hawthorn

Old English hagaþorn, earlier hæguþorn "hawthorn, white thorn," from obsolete haw "hedge or encompassing fence" (see haw) + thorn. A common Germanic name, cf. Middle Dutch and German hagedorn, Swedish hagtorn, Old Norse hagþorn.