hawthorn

American  

[haw-thawrn] / ˈhɔˌθɔrn /

noun

1. any of numerous plants belonging to the genus Crataegus, of the rose family, typically a small tree with stiff thorns, certain North American species of which have white or pink blossoms and bright-colored fruits and are cultivated in hedges.

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hawthorn British  

/ ˈhɔːˌθɔːn /

noun

1. Also called (in Britain): may.   may tree.   mayflower.  any of various thorny trees or shrubs of the N temperate rosaceous genus Crataegus, esp C. oxyacantha, having white or pink flowers and reddish fruits (haws)

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Other Word Forms

• hawthorny adjective

Etymology

Origin of hawthorn

before 900; Middle English; Old English haguthorn, cognate with Middle Dutch hagedorn, Middle High German hagendorn, Old Norse hagthorn. See haw ³, thorn

Example Sentences

A hawthorn is a shrub, often used in hedges, whose sharp thorns catch on intruders’ clothes or skin.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

This is a man who would fly back from his home in Los Angeles when he heard the hawthorn had begun to blossom in his native Yorkshire, just so he could paint the dazzling spectacle.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2025

An array of whole peeled tangerines, strawberries, hawthorn berries and green and red grapes glistened on my phone screen like jewels you only admire but can’t touch.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2025

The scheme also included “duck-blood products from unapproved establishments in China,” as well as hawthorn fruit — a restricted agricultural commodity, authorities said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2024

She was doubled over beneath the weight of a sheaf of hawthorn for the kitchen hearth, barefoot, her head bowed.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende