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thorn

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A modified branch that is hard and sharp like a spike.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

thawrn
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈθɔɹn

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. botany

    A modified branch that is hard and sharp like a spike.

  2. Any thorn-like structure on plants, such as the spine and the prickle.

  3. Any shrub or small tree that bears thorns, especially a hawthorn.

  4. figurative

    That which pricks or annoys; anything troublesome.

  5. 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).

  6. Former name of Whitethorn, Humboldt County, California.

verb

  1. To pierce with, or as if with, a thorn (sharp pointed object).

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Formality
Technical

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A modified branch that is hard and sharp like a spike.

Used this way, thorn is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • spine , a specialist term, precise but narrower

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use thorn

  • “He's a thorn in my flesh.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Modified / small

thorn scrubsharp thorn

Other combinations

thorn treethorn forestthorn bushwhite thornmiss thornthorn hedge

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • thorn applenounCompound term

    Any of several plants of the genus Datura.

  • cockspur thornnounCompound term

    Eastern United States hawthorn with long straight thorns.

  • common thorn applenounCompound term

    Intensely poisonous tall coarse annual tropical weed having rank-smelling foliage, large white or violet trumpet-shaped flowers and prickly fruits.

  • crown of thornsnounCompound term

    Any affliction that causes great suffering.

  • evergreen thornnounCompound term

    Evergreen hawthorn of southeastern Europe.

  • fire thornnounCompound term

    Any of various thorny shrubs of the genus Pyracantha bearing small white flowers followed by hard red or orange-red berries.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: modified branch that is hard and sharp like a spike

pricklespineTechnical

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.