English Explanatory Dictionary

thorn

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A modified branch that is hard and sharp like a spike.
  2. Any thorn-like structure on plants, such as the spine and the prickle.
  3. Any shrub or small tree that bears thorns, especially a hawthorn.
  4. That which pricks or annoys; anything troublesome.
  5. 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).
verb
  1. To pierce with, or as if with, a thorn (sharp pointed object).
name
  1. A topographic surname from Middle English for someone living near a thorn bush.
  2. A place name:
  3. A hamlet in Houghton Regis parish, Central Bedfordshire district, Bedfordshire, England (OS grid ref TL0024).
  4. A village in Maasgouw municipality, Limburg province, Netherlands.
  5. An unincorporated community in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, United States.
  6. Former name of Whitethorn, Humboldt County, California.

Pronunciation

/θɔːn/ en-uk-thorn.ogg /θoɹn/ [θo̞ɹn] en-us-thorn.ogg /θɔɹn/ [θɔːɹn] /θɔːɹn/

Word forms

thorn thorns þorn thorning thorned Thorne

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”).

Related words

eth edh eð ð wynn wen ƿ ᚦ

Derived words

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 giraffe thorn Glastonbury thorn goat's thorn hookthorn Jerusalem thorn Karoo thorn knobthorn maythorn monkey thorn Mysore thorn no rose without a thorn Osage thorn sandthorn September thorn sweet thorn thorn apple thorn-apple crystal thornback thornbill thornbird thorn broom thornbush thorn cluster thorn devil thornen thornery thornfish thorn forest thornhead thornhog thorn hopper 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

Translations

Abaza: мгъы Afar: keena Afrikaans: doring Albanian: ferrë Albanian: thumb Arabic: أَسَلَة Arabic: شَوْكَة Arabic: شوك Arabic: شوكة Archi: цац Armenian: փուշ Aromanian: schin Assamese: কাঁইট Assamese: কঁটা Avar: заз Aymara: ch'aphi Azerbaijani: tikan Bangi: losende Basque: arantza Basque: elorri Central Bikol: tunok Bulgarian: трън Bulgarian: бодил Burmese: ဆူး Catalan: aculi Catalan: espina Catalan: eculi Catalan: agulló Catalan: fibló Cebuano: tunok Chamicuro: kajpayi Chinese Mandarin: 枝刺 Chinese Mandarin: 莖刺 /茎刺 Chinese Mandarin: 刺 Ngazidja Comorian: shiɓa Cornish: dren Czech: trn Czech: osten Dalmatian: spaina Danish: torn Dutch: doorn Egyptian: s-r:*t-M44 Esperanto: dorno Estonian: astel Estonian: okas Estonian: oga Faroese: tornur Faroese: torn Finnish: piikki Finnish: oka Finnish: ora Finnish: ota Finnish: oas French: épine North Frisian: Tuurn West-Frisian: toarne Friulian: spine Friulian: spin Galician: espiña Galician: sevia Galician: áscura Galician: espunlla Galician: puga Georgian: ეკალი German: Dorn Greek: αγκάθι
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