hawthorn

noun

haw·​thorn ˈhȯ-ˌthȯrn 

: any of a genus (Crataegus) of spring-flowering spiny shrubs or small trees of the rose family with glossy and often lobed leaves, white or pink fragrant flowers, and small red fruits

Illustration of hawthorn

• 1 leaves and flowers
• 2 fruits

Did you know?

Hawthorn Has Old English Roots

A hawthorn is a thorny shrub or tree which can be planted into a hedge, and this fact provides a hint about the origins of the plant's name. The word hawthorn traces back to the Old English word hagathorn, a combination of "haga" ("hedge") and "thorn" (same meaning as the modern "thorn" or "thornbush"). "Haga" was also used in Old English for the hawthorn itself, but by the 12th century the "thorn" had been added to its name.

Examples of hawthorn in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In Cambridgeshire, England, a row of interlaced hawthorn called Judith’s Hedge is widely considered the oldest in the country, having marked a parish boundary there since the 11th century. —Kate Morgan, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024

The sourness of the hawthorn offsets the sweetness, and the crunchy outside belies a soft interior. —Steffi Cao, Bon Appétit, 15 Mar. 2024

This was also a thoughtful nod to her father-in-law’s love of nature, gardening, and horticulture, and reflected the motif, used throughout the coronation, of the Green Man—an ancient figure from British folklore, who wears a crown made of emblematic flowers and oak, ivy, and hawthorn. —Emma Spedding, Vogue, 22 Dec. 2023

Dingle uses, amongst other botanicals, rowan berry from the mountain ash trees, fuchsia, bog myrtle, hawthorn and heather for a taste of the Irish landscape. —Claudia Alarcón, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023

The hawthorn tree outside reveals the answer to the riddle from the winter before: the flowers are red. —Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023

Black walnut, hawthorn or barberry make for a prickly, foreboding atmosphere. —Karen Hugg, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2023

Woodcock can also be found mixed in with ruffed grouse in aspen stands and thickets of dogwood and hawthorn. —Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 18 Oct. 2023

Triterpenoids are also a group of compounds found in hawthorn berries that have been shown to affect cardiovascular health positively. —Discover Magazine, 30 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English haȝþorne, hawethorn, going back to Old English haguþorn, hægþorn, going back to Germanic *hagaþurna- (whence also Old High German hagandorn "hawthorn," Old Icelandic hagþorn), from *haga- "fenced enclosure, hedge" + *þurna- thorn — more at haw entry 1

Note: Hawthorn, "thorn of the hedge," is a metonymic name for what was apparently a characteristic plant of hedges in the early Germanic world.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

hawthorn

noun

haw·​thorn ˈhȯ-ˌthȯ(ə)rn 

: any of a genus of thorny shrubs or small trees that are related to the roses and have glossy leaves, white or pink fragrant flowers that bloom in the spring, and small red fruits