Where does “thorn” come from?
Thorn comes from Middle English þorn, from Old English þorn, from Proto-Germanic þurnuz, from Proto-Indo-European tr̥nós, derived from the root ter-.
thorn (English): A sharp protective spine of a plant; Any shrub or...
Definitions
- A sharp protective spine of a plant; Any shrub or...
Ancestry of “thorn”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | þorn | Alternative form of thorn |
| 2 | Old English | þorn | thorn; thorny bush; the runic character ᚦ; the... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | þorn | thorn, briar |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | þurnuz | thorn, briar |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | tr̥nós | sharp, stiff |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ter- | strong, firm, stiff, rigid; rigid, stiff; to... |