n. | 1. | A hard and sharp-pointed projection from a woody stem; usually, a branch so transformed; a spine. |
| 2. | (Bot.) Any shrub or small tree which bears thorns; especially, any species of the genus Cratægus, as the hawthorn, whitethorn, cockspur thorn. |
| 3. | Fig.: That which pricks or annoys as a thorn; anything troublesome; trouble; care. |
| 4. | The name of the Anglo-Saxon letter , capital form . It was used to represent both of the sounds of English th, as in thin, then. So called because it was the initial letter of thorn, a spine. |
v. t. | 1. | To prick, as with a thorn. |