thorn

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thorn^¹

/θɔːn/ UK
/θoɹn/ US
[θo̞ɹn] US
/θɔɹn/ Scotland
[θɔːɹn] Scotland
/θɔːɹn/
/θɔːn/

Sounds like faun, fawn (non-rhotic, th-fronting) · Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)n

Where it comes from

From Middle English thorn, þorn, from Old English þorn, from Proto-West Germanic *þorn, from Proto-Germanic *þurnaz, from Proto-Indo-European *tr̥nós, from *(s)ter- (“stiff”).

Cognates

Near cognates include West Frisian toarn, Low German Doorn, Dutch doorn, German Dorn, Danish and Norwegian torn, Swedish torn, törne, Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽𐌿𐍃 (þaurnus). Further cognates include Old Church Slavonic трънъ (trŭnŭ, “thorn”), Russian тёрн (tjorn), Polish cierń, Kamkata-viri taňi, tai (“thorn”), Sanskrit तृण (tṛ́ṇa, “grass”).

noun thorns · þorn

A modified branch that is hard and sharp like a spike.
Any thorn-like structure on plants, such as the spine and the prickle. On the mountains a few junipers and piñons are found, and cactuses, agave, and yuccas, low, fleshy plants with bayonets and thorns.
Any shrub or small tree that bears thorns, especially a hawthorn. the white thorn
figuratively That which pricks or annoys; anything troublesome. There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me.
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). In Old English manuscripts thorn and eth did not have different phonetic values but were used positionally[.]

verb thorns · thorning · thorned · þorn

To pierce with, or as if with, a thorn (sharp pointed object). […] human nature is, above all things, lazy, and needs to be thorned and goaded up those heights where it ought to fly.

Thorn^²

proper noun Thorne

A topographic surname from Middle English for someone living near a thorn bush.
A hamlet in Houghton Regis parish, Central Bedfordshire district, Bedfordshire, England (OS grid ref TL0024).
A village in Maasgouw municipality, Limburg province, Netherlands.
An unincorporated community in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, United States.
Former name of Whitethorn, Humboldt County, California.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: spine, prickle, irritant, brier, sashimi, spina, backbone, fork, stone, stab, zariba, splinter, sticker, clockwork, plug, pain

Translations

Every language

noun sharp protective structure of a plant

Español	espina, puncha, pincha, aguate / ahuate / afate / guate, ajuate / uguate / huate, shute
한국어	가시 gasi
日本語	刺, 棘 toge, 茨 toge, 荊 toge
中文	枝刺 zhīcì, 莖刺 /茎刺 jīngcì, 刺 cì
हिन्दी	काँटा kā̃ṭā
Kiswahili	mwiba
Português	espinho, acúleo
Français	épine
Deutsch	Dorn
Italiano	spina, aculeo
Ελληνικά	αγκάθι agkáthi
Română	spin, ghimpe
Русский	шип šip, колю́чка koljúčka
Tiếng Việt	gai
العربية	أَسَلَة ʔasala, شَوْكَة šawka
עברית	שַׁיִת shayit, קֹוץ kotz

noun any shrub or small tree that bears thorns

中文	荊棘 /荆棘 jīngjí

noun letter of the Latin alphabet (Þ, þ)

Español	thorn
한국어	손 son
中文	Þ
Kiswahili	ba
Français	thorn
Русский	торн torn

verb to pierce with, or as if with, a thorn

Português	espinhar

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Cite this

MLA

"thorn." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/thorn. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

thorn. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/thorn

Chicago

"thorn." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/thorn.

BibTeX

@misc{thorn_2026,
  title = {thorn},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/thorn},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}