- thorn⇄adj. thornlike.
- thorn⇄expr. thorn in the flesh (or side), a constant affliction; cause of grief, trouble, or annoyance.
Ex. The sharpest thorn in television's side is its own mammoth audience (Listener). - thorn⇄noun 1a. a sharp point on a stem or branch of a tree or other plant. A thorn usually grows from a bud.
Ex. Blackberries, roses, hawthorns, and cacti have thorns.
(SYN) spine, prickle.
b. a tree or other plant with thorns, especially a - thorn⇄thorn, noun, verb.
- thorn⇄v.t. to vex.
Ex. The perplexities with which ... I have been thorned (Samuel Taylor Coleridge).