thorn

¹

[ thawrn ]

noun

1. a sharp excrescence on a plant, especially a sharp-pointed aborted branch; spine; prickle.
2. any of various thorny shrubs or trees, especially the hawthorns belonging to the genus Crataegus, of the rose family.
3. the wood of any of these trees.
4. a runic character (þ), borrowed into the Latin alphabet and representing the initial th sounds in thin and they in Old English, or thin in modern Icelandic.
5. something that wounds, annoys, or causes discomfort.

verb (used with object)

1. to prick with a thorn; vex.

Thorn

²

[ tawrn ]

noun

1. German name of Toruń.

Thorn

¹

/ toːrn /

noun

1. the German name for Toruń

thorn

²

/ θɔːn /

noun

1. a sharp pointed woody extension of a stem or leaf Compare prickle
2. 1. any of various trees or shrubs having thorns, esp the hawthorn
   2. the wood of any of these plants
3. short for thorn moth
4. a Germanic character of runic origin Þ used in Old and Modern Icelandic to represent the voiceless dental fricative sound of th, as in thin, bath. Its use in phonetics for the same purpose is now obsolete See theta
5. this same character as used in Old and Middle English as an alternative to edh, but indistinguishable from it in function or sound Compare edh
6. zoology any of various sharp spiny parts
7. a source of irritation (esp in the phrases a thorn in one's side or flesh )

thorn

/ thôrn /

1. A short, hard, pointed part of a stem or branch of a woody plant.
2. Compare spine

Derived Forms

• ˈthornless, adjective

Other Words From

• thornless adjective
• thornlike adjective
• un·thorn verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of thorn¹

before 900; Middle English (noun), Old English; cognate with Dutch doorn, German Dorn, Old Norse thorn, Gothic thaurnus

Word History and Origins

Origin of thorn¹

Old English; related to Old High German dorn, Old Norse thorn

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. thorn in one's side / flesh, a source of continual irritation or suffering:

   That child is a thorn in the teacher's side.

Example Sentences

He enjoyed 171 wins in 420 games at the helm, of which 17 came in his first period in charge between September 2012, when he succeeded Andy Thorn, and February 2013, when Robins left to join Huddersfield.

From BBC

“The baseball cap is, if anything, the American uniform,” said John Thorn, the official MLB historian since 2011.

From Los Angeles Times

Others told more gruesome stories, including one worker who developed an infection and required two surgeries after his hand was impaled by a thorn, and another worker who was struck from behind by a golf cart as she walked to the bathroom, resulting in permanent back pain.

From Los Angeles Times

He could still be a thorn in the side of both unionist opponents and former nationalist allies.

From BBC

“Though the majority of our store locations are profitable, we intend to move forward with a more focused footprint,” Big Lots President and Chief Executive Bruce Thorn said in a statement Monday.

From Los Angeles Times