thorn
Plural
thorns
1
a sharp part of a plant that is attached to the stem
- The rose bush had long thorns along its stems, which required careful handling to avoid getting pricked.
- The gardener noticed the thorns on the climbing vine were making it difficult to handle while installing the trellis.
- She carefully removed the thorn from her foot after stepping on a sharp plant while hiking.
- As she reached for the berries, she felt a sharp pain from a thorn on the bush that scratched her hand.
- The thorns on the wild rose bushes made it challenging to harvest the flowers without getting scratched.
2
something that causes irritation, difficulty, or annoyance
Synonyms:
3
a historical Germanic letter of runic origin
The thorn is a letter from the Old English and Icelandic alphabets, represented by the symbol "þ" (lowercase) or "Þ" (uppercase). It is used to represent the "th" sound, as in the words "think" or "that." In Old English, the thorn was commonly used, but it eventually fell out of use as the English language evolved. Instead of using thorn, the letters "th" are now used in modern English. The thorn is significant in the study of historical linguistics, as it reflects the pronunciation and spelling practices of earlier forms of the English language, highlighting the changes that have occurred over time.