Definition of "thorn" []

• Botany A modified branch in the form of a sharp, woody spine. (noun)
• Botany Any of various shrubs, trees, or woody plants bearing sharp, woody spines. (noun)
• Any of various sharp, spiny protuberances; a prickle. (noun)
• One that causes sharp pain, irritation, or discomfort: He is a thorn in my side. (noun)
• The runic letter þ originally representing either sound of the Modern English th, as in the and thin, used in Old English and Middle English manuscripts. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "And do you know what that sting or thorn is in Latin?"
• "Sometimes, as in any exorcism movie -- and most horror movies are that, by other names -- the alien thorn is successfully removed from the suppurating flank of the real."
• "My miraculous discovery was that by telling my husband and laughing with him about it; And then calling a dear friend and telling her and laughing with her about it; Now the thorn is drawn from my mind."