thorn

See also: Thorn and þorn

English
thorns of a plant (sense 1)
upper- and lower-case versions of the thorn character (sense 4)

Etymology

From Middle English thorn, þorn, from Old English þorn, from Proto-West Germanic *þornu, from Proto-Germanic *þurnuz, 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 taňí, taí (“thorn”), Sanskrit तृण (tṛ́ṇa, “grass”).

Pronunciation
  • (UK) IPA(key): /θɔːn/
    • Audio (UK)(file)
  • (US) IPA(key): /θoɹn/, [θo̞ɹn]
    • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)n

Noun

thorn (plural thorns)

  1. (botany) A sharp protective spine of a plant.
  2. Any shrub or small tree that bears thorns, especially a hawthorn.
    the white thorn
    the cockspur thorn
  3. (figurative) That which pricks or annoys; anything troublesome.
  4. 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).
    • See also Etymology of ye (definite article).

Derived terms

Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

thorn (third-person singular simple present thorns, present participle thorning, simple past and past participle thorned)

  1. 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

See also

Further reading

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
  • IPA(key): /θɔrn/, /θoːrn/, /θrɔn/

Noun

thorn (plural thornes)

  1. A thorn (spine on a plant with a sharp point)
  2. Thorn or eth (the letter þ and/or ð)
  3. A plant having thorns, especially the hawthorn or rosebush.
  4. (rare) Thorns pulled from the ground for burning.
  5. (rare) A dish incorporating hawthorn.

Derived terms

Descendants
  • English: thorn
  • Scots: thorn; torn (Shetland)
  • Yola: thoornes, thorns, thurns

References

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
  • IPA(key): /θɔrn/

Noun

thorn m

  1. 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 — —


Descendants
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