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

Native trees like alder, spruce and rowan are interspersed with hawthorn shrubs.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

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

Thinking that, I bent my bead, and saw, lying on the anvil, a miracle: that sprig of hawthorn — from his cloak, on the anvil.

From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz