thorn apple

[thawrn]

noun

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.
the fruit of certain hawthorns of the genus Crataegus.

Origin of thorn apple

First recorded in 1570–80

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for thorn apple

Historical Examples of thorn apple

Tar water is strongly recommended, and also the smoking of the dried leaves of stramonium, commonly called the thorn-apple.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton
But there is still greater brushiness in the thorn-apple (Fig. 209).
Cornell Nature-Study Leaflets
Various
I chose a place in a field just below Old Howieson's farm, where there is a thorn-apple tree to sit or lie under.
Great Possessions
David Grayson
They walked back to the lane, cross-lots, and sat down under a thorn-apple tree.
Betty Gordon at Bramble Farm
Alice B. Emerson
Observe the very short and spur-like twigs in the thorn-apple; also notice how soon the trunk is lost in the branches.
Cornell Nature-Study Leaflets
Various

British Dictionary definitions for thorn apple

thorn apple

noun

a poisonous solanaceous plant, Datura stramonium, of the N hemisphere, having white funnel-shaped flowers and spiny capsule fruitsUS and Canadian name: jimson weed See also stramonium
any other plant of the genus Datura
the fruit of certain types of hawthorn

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