THORN
What does "THORN" mean?
A sharp, stiff, pointed projection on the stem or branch of a plant.
Meanings
- A hard, sharp-pointed woody outgrowth on a plant stem. A thorn pierced her glove as she pruned the roses.
- A continual source of irritation or trouble. The lawsuit was a thorn in the company's side for years. figurative
- The Old English and Old Norse runic letter þ, representing the 'th' sound. Medieval scribes used the thorn where we now write 'th'. technical
Did you know?
- The 'Ye' in 'Ye Olde Shoppe' was never pronounced 'yee' - it's the old letter thorn (þ) misread as a 'y', and it simply meant 'the.'
Word origin
From Old English 'þorn', from Proto-Germanic '*þurnuz'; the same word names the runic letter þ, because the rune was called after the thorn it resembled.
Remember it
THORN guards the ROSE hidden in its sound; the sharp 'th' is the prick before the bloom.
A little poem
The bloom forgives you with its scent,
but down the stem a small dissent-
the thorn remembers what it meant.
tercet
Wordplay
- The rose complained about its thorns, but the thorns said: without us, you'd be every goat's lunch.
What it teaches
Every rose keeps its thorn for a reason; what hurts you may be exactly what protects what you love.
Quick facts
What does THORN mean?
A sharp, stiff, pointed projection on the stem or branch of a plant.
Is THORN a valid word?
Yes — THORN is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is THORN?
THORN has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does THORN come from?
From Old English 'þorn', from Proto-Germanic '*þurnuz'; the same word names the runic letter þ, because the rune was called after the thorn it resembled.
What can THORN teach us?
Every rose keeps its thorn for a reason; what hurts you may be exactly what protects what you love.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.