thorn
[ thawrn ]
/ θɔrn /
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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Nearby words
Idioms
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
Related forms
thorn·less, adjectivethorn·like, adjectiveun·thorn, verb (used with object)Definition for thorn (2 of 2)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for thorn
British Dictionary definitions for thorn (1 of 2)
thorn
/ (θɔːn) /
noun
Derived Forms
thornless, adjectiveWord Origin for thorn
Old English; related to Old High German dorn, Old Norse thorn
British Dictionary definitions for thorn (2 of 2)
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
Science definitions for thorn
thorn
[ thôrn ]
A short, hard, pointed part of a stem or branch of a woody plant. Compare spine.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.