thorn
Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word thorn. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word thorn, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say thorn in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word thorn you have here. The definition of the word thorn will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofthorn, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
thorns of a plant (sense 1) 
upper- and lower-case versions of the thorn character (sense 4)
English
Etymology
From Middle English thorn, þorn, from Old English þorn, from Proto-West Germanic *þorn, from Proto-Germanic *þurnaz, from Proto-Indo-European *tr̥nós, from *(s)ter- (“stiff”).
cognates
Near cognates include West Frisian toarn, Low German Doorn, Dutch doorn, German Dorn, Danish and Norwegian torn, Swedish torn, törne, Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽𐌿𐍃 (þaurnus). Further cognates include Old Church Slavonic трънъ (trŭnŭ, “thorn”), Russian тёрн (tjorn), Polish cierń, Kamkata-viri taňi, tai (“thorn”), Sanskrit तृण (tṛ́ṇa, “grass”).
Pronunciation
Noun
thorn (plural thorns)
- (botany) A sharp protective spine of a plant.
- 1895, J W Powell, chapter I, in Canyons of the Colorado, Meadville, PA: Flood & Vincent; republished as The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons, New York: Dover, 1961, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 22:
- On the mountains a few junipers and piñons are found, and cactuses, agave, and yuccas, low, fleshy plants with bayonets and thorns.
- Any shrub or small tree that bears thorns, especially a hawthorn.
- the white thorn
- the cockspur thorn
- (figurative) That which pricks or annoys; anything troublesome.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 12:7:
- There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me.
- 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London:
- The guilt of empire, all its thorns and cares, / Be only mine.
- A letter of Latin script (capital: Þ, small: þ), borrowed from the futhark; today used only in Icelandic to represent the voiceless dental fricative, but originally used in several early Germanic scripts, including Old English where it represented the dental fricatives that are today written th (Old English did not have phonemic voicing distinctions for fricatives).
- 1985, Robert Burchfield, The English Language, Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 175:
- In Old English manuscripts thorn and eth did not have different phonetic values but were used positionally[.]
- See also Etymology of ye (definite article).
Derived terms
- bastard umbrella thorn
- blackthorn
- boxthorn
- buckthorn
- buffalo thorn
- camelthorn
- Christ's thorn
- crucifixion thorn
- desert-thorn
- Egyptian thorn
- every rose has a thorn
- every rose has its thorn
- fairy thorn
- firethorn
- garland thorn
- Glastonbury thorn
- goat's thorn
- hookthorn
- Jerusalem thorn
- Karoo thorn
- knobthorn
- maythorn
- monkey thorn
- Mysore thorn
- no rose without a thorn
- sandthorn
- September thorn
- sweet thorn
- thorn apple
- thorn-apple crystal
- thornback
- thornbill
- thornbird
- thorn broom (Calicotome spp.)
- thornbush
- thorn cluster
- thorn devil (Moloch horridus)
- thornen
- thornery
- thornfish
- thorn forest
- thornhead
- thornhog
- thorn hopper (Centrotus cornutus)
- thorn in one's side
- thorn in someone's side
- thorn in the flesh
- thornless
- thornlet
- thornlike
- thornproof
- thorntail
- Thornton
- thorn tree
- thorn-tree
- thornveld
- thorny
- umbrella thorn
- whitethorn
- yellowthorn
Translations
sharp protective spine of a plant
| ||||||
any shrub or small tree that bears thorns
|
letter of the Latin alphabet (Þ, þ)
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
|
Verb
thorn (third-person singular simple present thorns, present participle thorning, simple past and past participle thorned)
- To pierce with, or as if with, a thorn (sharp pointed object).
- 1869, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Old Town Folks:
- […] human nature is, above all things, lazy, and needs to be thorned and goaded up those heights where it ought to fly.
- 2003, Scott D. Zachary, Scorn This, page 175:
- Even Judge Bradley's callused sentiments were thorned by the narration of Jaclyn's journals.
Translations
to pierce with, or as if with, a thorn
See also
Further reading
thorn on Wikipedia.Wikipedia - Thorns, spines, and prickles on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- Thorn (letter) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Anagrams
Middle English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Inherited from Old English þorn, from Proto-West Germanic *þorn, from Proto-Germanic *þurnaz, from Proto-Indo-European *tr̥nós.
Pronunciation
Noun
thorn (plural thornes)
- A thorn (spine on a plant with a sharp point)
- Thorn or eth (the letter þ and/or ð)
- A plant having thorns, especially the hawthorn or rosebush.
- (rare) Thorns pulled from the ground for burning.
- (rare) A dish incorporating hawthorn.
Derived terms
Descendants
References
- “thorn, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-09-12.
Old Saxon
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *þornu (“thorn, sloe”).
Cognates
Germanic cognates include Old English þorn (English thorn), Dutch doorn, Old High German thorn (German Dorn), Old Norse þorn (Swedish törne), Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽𐌿𐍃 (þaurnus). The Indo-European root is also the source of Old Church Slavonic трънъ (trŭnŭ) (Russian тёрн (tjorn, “sloe, blackthorn”)), Sanskrit तृण (tṛṇa, “grass”).
Pronunciation
Noun
thorn m
- thorn; thorny bush
Declension
Declension of thorn (masculine a-stem)
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | thorn | thornos |
| accusative | thorn | thornos |
| genitive | thornes | thornō |
| dative | thorne | thornum |
| instrumental | — | — |