thistle

[ this-uhl ]

/ ˈθɪs əl /

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noun

any of various prickly, composite plants having showy, purple flower heads, especially of the genera Cirsium, Carduus, or Onopordum.

any of various other prickly plants.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of thistle

before 900; Middle English thistel,Old English; cognate with Dutch distel,German Distel,Old Norse thistill

OTHER WORDS FROM thistle

this·tle·like, adjective

Words nearby thistle

this is where I came in, “This Land Is Your Land”, “This Little Piggy Went to Market”, this'll, this side of, thistle, thistle butterfly, thistledown, thistle tube, thistly, this-worldliness

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use thistle in a sentence

Fast-growing weeds like dandelions and thistles tend to have smaller genomes than slower-growing plants.
Living mysteries: This critter has 38 times more DNA than you do|Douglas Fox|September 29, 2022|Science News For Students
Walking on, he sees another thistle, downtrodden, but still firmly planted and defiantly thriving.
Turning to Tolstoy’s ‘Hadji Murat’ as Boston Locked Down|Liesl Schillinger|April 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The case was different in 'Thistle's' year, that vessel having a really splendid lot of sticks.
Yachting Vol. 2|Various.
Lady Baird has sent the veil, and a wonderful diamond thistle to pin it on,—a jewel fit for a princess!
Penelope's Experiences in Scotland|Kate Douglas Wiggin

So saying, he again relapsed into silence, and commenced whipping at the thistle tops and dandelions.
The English Orphans|Mary Jane Holmes
From holy or blessed thistle (Carduus Benedictus) by displacement with cold water.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
Suddenly Polly broke away, pulled up an iron-weed growing on the road-side, and fell to whipping a large purple thistle.
That Old-Time Child, Roberta|Sophie Fox Sea

British Dictionary definitions for thistle (1 of 2)

thistle

/ (ˈθɪsəl) /

noun

any of numerous plants of the genera Cirsium, Carduus, and related genera, having prickly-edged leaves, pink, purple, yellow, or white dense flower heads, and feathery hairs on the seeds: family Asteraceae (composites)

a thistle, or a representation of one, as the national emblem of Scotland

Derived forms of thistle

thistly, adjective

Word Origin for thistle

Old English thīstel, related to Old Saxon, Old High German thīstil, Old Norse thīstill

British Dictionary definitions for thistle (2 of 2)

Thistle

/ (ˈθɪsəl) /

noun the Thistle

See Order of the Thistle

(sometimes not capital)

the emblem of this Order
membership of this Order

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

thistle

Origin of thistle

OTHER WORDS FROM thistle

Words nearby thistle

Words related to thistle

How to use thistle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for thistle (1 of 2)

Derived forms of thistle

Word Origin for thistle

British Dictionary definitions for thistle (2 of 2)