whitethorn

American

[hwahyt-thawrn, wahyt-] / ˈʰwaɪtˌθɔrn, ˈwaɪt- /

noun

a hawthorn, Crataegus laevigata, having white flowers.

whitethorn British

/ ˈwaɪtˌθɔːn /

noun

another name for 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

Etymology

Origin of whitethorn

1225–75; Middle English, translation of Latin alba spīna

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.

See Examples For:

whitethorn

Then brush, predominantly whitethorn and manzanita, interspersed in waist-high thickets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2025

To see the evidence, we’d have to slog into the whitethorn to see the future.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2025

Manzanita and mountain whitethorn — chaparral typical at lower elevations in California — take root in ashes and can dominate the forest.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 25, 2023

After the 2007 Moonlight Fire in Plumas National Forest, dense stands of chaparral whitethorn and greenleaf manzanita grew back, rather than trees.

From Salon ● Dec. 1, 2021

At this moment a man's face rose above the whitethorn hedge.

From That Lass O' Lowrie's 1877 by Frances Hodgson Burnett

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023