thorn apple
Americannoun
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any poisonous plant belonging to the genus Datura, of the nightshade family, the species of which bear capsules covered with prickly spines, especially the jimson weed, D. stramonium.
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the fruit of certain hawthorns of the genus Crataegus.
noun
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US and Canadian name: jimson weed. a poisonous solanaceous plant, Datura stramonium, of the N hemisphere, having white funnel-shaped flowers and spiny capsule fruits See also stramonium
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any other plant of the genus Datura
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the fruit of certain types of hawthorn
Etymology
Origin of thorn apple
First recorded in 1570–80
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The plant that caused a baby spinach recall in Australia was thorn apple, a nightshade, The Guardian reports.
From New York Times ● Dec. 21, 2022
These contain thorn apple, a common term for the botanist's Datura stramonium, also known as Jimson weed.
From Time Magazine Archive
The Harvester drew a deep breath and continued: "These I just have named I take at bloom time; next month come purple thorn apple, jimson weed, and hemlock."
From The Harvester by Stratton-Porter, Gene
"It is a crystalline, bitter and poisonous alkaloid, taken from the deadly nightshade, and the same principle is also found in the thorn apple."
From The Wonder Island Boys: Adventures on Strange Islands by Finlay, Roger Thompson
With these words he went upward among the tree-tops; and the thorn apple pricked him.
From Old Indian Legends by Zitkala-Sa
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
