Thorn

Table of contents

1 Etymology 2 Pronunciation 3 Noun 4 Alternative spellings 4.1 Derived words 4.2 Translations 5 See also

Etymology

Middle English þorn and Old English þorn , from common Germanic *thurn(u)-, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ter-n- "sharp stalk or thorn", possibly derived from *ster- "stiff". Near cognates include German Dorn and Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽𐌿𐍃 (þaurnus). Further cognates include Old Church Slavonic трънъ (trŭnŭ) "thorn" and Sanskrit तृण (tṛṇa) "grass".

Pronunciation

	RP	GenAm
IPA	/θɔːn/	/θɔrn/
SAMPA	/TO:n/	/TOrn/

Noun

thorn (plural: thorns )

1. a sharp spine of a plant
2. a letter of the Latin alphabet (capital: Þ, small: þ), borrowed by Old English from the futhark to represent a dental fricative, then not distinguished from eth, but in modern use (in Icelandic and other languages, but no longer in English) used only for the voiceless dental fricative found in English thigh
   • See also Etymology of ye (definite article).

Alternative spellings

• þorn , þ (2)

Derived words

• thorny
• thornbush
• Thornton

Translations

• Danish: torn (1)
• Dutch: doorn m (1) (preferred spelling), doren m (1)
• French: épine f (1)
• Icelandic: þorn (2)
• Italian: spina f (1)
• Japanese: ソーン (sōn, 2)
• Romanian: spin m (1), ţep m (1)
• Spanish: espina f (1)

See also

• eth, edh, eð , ð
• wynn, wen, ƿ
• ᚦ