hawthorn
UK /ˈhɔː.θɔːn/ · US /ˈhɔ.θɔɹn/ noun, proper noun
Forms hawthorns
- noun Any of various shrubs and small trees of the genus Crataegus having small, apple-like fruits and thorny branches
- proper noun A surname.
- proper noun An inner suburb of Melbourne in the City of Boroondara, Victoria, Australia.
- proper noun A suburb of Adelaide in the City of Mitcham, South Australia.
- proper noun A village and civil parish in County Durham, England (OS grid ref NZ4145).
- proper noun A hamlet in Four Marks parish, East Hampshire district, Hampshire, England (OS grid ref SU6733).
- proper noun A suburban area in Pontypridd community, Rhondda Cynon Taf borough, Wales (OS grid ref ST0987).
- proper noun A borough in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, United States.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English hawthorn, from Old English hagaþorn, hæguþorn, from Proto-West Germanic *haguþorn; equivalent to haw (“hedge, enclosure”) + thorn.
Compound of haw (“hedge”) + thorn.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A thorny shrub or tree (the Cratægus oxyacantha), having deeply lobed, shining leaves, small, roselike, fragrant flowers, and a fruit called haw. It is much used in Europe for hedges, and for standards in gardens. The American hawthorn is Cratægus cordata, which has the leaves but little lobed.
Etymology [AS. hagaborn, hæg. See Haw a hedge, and Thorn.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “hawthorn”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details