buckthorn

[ buhk-thawrn ]

noun

1. any of several, sometimes thorny trees or shrubs belonging to the genus Rhamnus, especially R. frangula, the bark of which is used in medicine. Compare buckthorn family.
2. a tree or shrub belonging to the genus Bumelia, of the sapodilla family, especially B. lycioides, a thorny tree having elliptic leaves and large clusters of white flowers, common in the southern and part of the central U.S.

buckthorn

/ ˈbʌkˌθɔːn /

noun

1. any of several thorny small-flowered shrubs of the genus Rhamnus , esp the Eurasian species R. cathartica , whose berries were formerly used as a purgative: family Rhamnaceae See also sea buckthorn

Word History and Origins

Origin of buckthorn¹

1570–80; buck ¹ + thorn, rendering New Latin cervi spina

Word History and Origins

Origin of buckthorn¹

C16: from buck ¹(from the spiny branches, imagined as resembling antlers) + thorn

Example Sentences

In one dish that followed, sea buckthorn berries had been broken down into a cool soup in which nasturtium leaves floated like lily pads.

From New York Times

This was no wilderness, but manicured groves of red-fringed switchgrass, buckthorn, elm, and black cherry, carefully tended to give the illusion of a wild space.

From Literature

Karstad, a chef, former culinary advisor to the legendary Noma team and father of four, knows that not all of us can raise our own chickens or have easy access to sea buckthorn.

From Salon

It contains sea buckthorn and evening primrose, but the secret weapon may be the black currant seed oil.

From New York Times

If you somehow tick all those boxes in 2021, go for it with an included recipe for vodka cocktails topped with bracingly sour sea buckthorn juice.

From Washington Post