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

For example, serviceberries provide spring-ripening fruit, red-twig dogwoods provide summer fruit, while hawthorns and crabapples provide fruit in fall and winter. —Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026

Some options include Japanese maples with their golden, variegated, or red leaves, flowering trees such as magnolias or dogwoods, and trees that put on a spectacle of color in the fall, such as oaks, aspens, sassafras, and hawthorns. —Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 10 Mar. 2026

There are several varieties that feed on apple, pear, elm, alder, beech, hawthorn, and silver maple trees. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2026

Dense branching of small trees like hawthorn, hazelnut, and crepe myrtle provides barriers and screens and can form a fence with proper spacing. —Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 1 Mar. 2026

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

Rhymes for hawthorn

• adorn
• airborne
• blackthorn
• broomcorn
• buckhorn
• buckthorn
• careworn
• firstborn
• foodborne
• forborne
• forewarn
• forlorn

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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