thorn

[ thawrn ]

/ θɔrn /

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noun

a sharp excrescence on a plant, especially a sharp-pointed aborted branch; spine; prickle.

any of various thorny shrubs or trees, especially the hawthorns belonging to the genus Crataegus, of the rose family.

the wood of any of these trees.

a runic character (þ), borrowed into the Latin alphabet and representing the initial th sounds in thin and they in Old English, or thin in modern Icelandic.

something that wounds, annoys, or causes discomfort.

verb (used with object)

to prick with a thorn; vex.

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“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

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Idioms about thorn

thorn in one's side / flesh, a source of continual irritation or suffering: That child is a thorn in the teacher's side.

Origin of thorn

before 900; Middle English (noun), Old English; cognate with Dutch doorn,German Dorn,Old Norse thorn,Gothic thaurnus

OTHER WORDS FROM thorn

thornless, adjectivethornlike, adjectiveun·thorn, verb (used with object)

Words nearby thorn

thorianite, thorite, thorium, thorium dioxide, thorium series, thorn, thorn apple, thornback, thornbill, thornbush, Thorndike

Other definitions for thorn (2 of 2)

Thorn

[ tawrn ]

/ tɔrn /

noun

German name of Toruń.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use thorn in a sentence

Since iAd’s closure, Apple has become a thorn in the side of the online ad industry.
‘It’s the first time they’re listening’: Apple is striking a more conciliatory tone with the ad industry|Lara O'Reilly|September 8, 2020|Digiday
The Tampa Bay Rays gave New York a good fight early last season and were also a thorn in the Houston Astros’ side during the postseason.
Baseball Will Be Weird This Year. But The Astros And Yankees Are Favorites In The American League … Again.|Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com)|July 21, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Some fish may be eating only the crown-of-thorns’ tiny, squishy larvae.
Fish poop exposes what eats the destructive crown-of-thorns starfish|Jake Buehler|June 8, 2020|Science News
Adorned with spikes and toxins, crown-of-thorns starfish aren’t an easy meal.
Fish poop exposes what eats the destructive crown-of-thorns starfish|Jake Buehler|June 8, 2020|Science News

Yet occasional starfish population booms suggest something is normally eating live, healthy crown-of-thorns and keeping their numbers in check.
Fish poop exposes what eats the destructive crown-of-thorns starfish|Jake Buehler|June 8, 2020|Science News
Thorn also posted a video on his personal YouTube page wherein he desk-dances to Taylor Swift.
Jimmy Kimmel Pranks Kids (Again), Taylor Swift’s 1989 Aerobics, and More Viral Videos|The Daily Beast Video|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the system that Battle represents is a constant thorn in their side.
Meet the Beer Bottle Dictator|Tim Mak|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That freedom has been a thorn in the side of many cardinals who feel the sisters should be more conservative.
American Nuns Hope For Sister-Friendly New Pope|Barbie Latza Nadeau|February 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A tabletop bronze of a boy pulling a thorn from his foot, made around 1500 by the Renaissance sculptor known as Antico.
A Roman Boy-Toy Gets a Dye Job|Blake Gopnik|January 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There are just as many covetable skirts and delicate silk tap shorts as there are thorn-cupped bras and barely-there g-strings.
We Want: Fleur Du Mal|Misty White Sidell|December 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Taylor alludes to several made from the well known Glastonbury thorn.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
I feel as if he were a little child crying with a thorn in his finger, and he had no mother to take it out.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline|Jennie M. Drinkwater
He lay motionless in her lap, until the thorn suddenly let go and lay in Jess' hand.
The Box-Car Children|Gertrude Chandler Warner
Then she held the soft paw firmly with her left hand, and pulled steadily on the thorn with her right hand.
The Box-Car Children|Gertrude Chandler Warner
She received the infection on a part of the hand which had been previously in a slight degree injured by a scratch from a thorn.
An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae|Edward Jenner

British Dictionary definitions for thorn (1 of 2)

thorn

/ (θɔːn) /

noun

a sharp pointed woody extension of a stem or leafCompare prickle (def. 1)

any of various trees or shrubs having thorns, esp the hawthorn
the wood of any of these plants

short for thorn moth

a Germanic character of runic origin Þ used in Old and Modern Icelandic to represent the voiceless dental fricative sound of th, as in thin, bath. Its use in phonetics for the same purpose is now obsoleteSee theta

this same character as used in Old and Middle English as an alternative to edh, but indistinguishable from it in function or soundCompare edh

zoology any of various sharp spiny parts

a source of irritation (esp in the phrases a thorn in one's side or flesh)

Derived forms of thorn

thornless, adjective

Word Origin for thorn

Old English; related to Old High German dorn, Old Norse thorn

British Dictionary definitions for thorn (2 of 2)

Thorn

/ (toːrn) /

noun

the German name for Toruń

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

Scientific definitions for thorn

thorn

[ thôrn ]

A short, hard, pointed part of a stem or branch of a woody plant. Compare spine.

thorn

Idioms about thorn

Origin of thorn

OTHER WORDS FROM thorn

Words nearby thorn

Other definitions for thorn (2 of 2)

Words related to thorn

How to use thorn in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for thorn (1 of 2)

Derived forms of thorn

Word Origin for thorn

British Dictionary definitions for thorn (2 of 2)

Scientific definitions for thorn