þorn

See also: thorn and Thorn

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /θɔ(r)t⁽ʰ⁾n/

  Rhymes: -ɔrtn

Noun

þorn n (genitive singular þorns, nominative plural þorn)

1. The name of the Latin-script letter Þ/þ.

Declension

Declension of þorn (neuter)

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	þorn	þornið	þorn	þornin
accusative	þorn	þornið	þorn	þornin
dative	þorni	þorninu	þornum	þornunum
genitive	þorns	þornsins	þorna	þornanna

Middle English

Noun

þorn

1. alternative form of thorn

Old English

Alternative forms

• *ᚦᚩᚱᚾ (*þórn)

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *þornu (“thorn, sloe”).

Cognates

Germanic cognates include Old Saxon thorn (Low German Dorn, Doorn), Dutch doorn, Old High German thorn (German Dorn), Old Norse þorn (Swedish törne), Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽𐌿𐍃 (þaurnus). The Indo-European root is also the source of Old Church Slavonic трънъ (trŭnŭ) (Russian тёрн (tjorn, “sloe, blackthorn”), Slovak tŕň), Sanskrit तृण (tṛṇa, “grass”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /θorn/, [θorˠn]

Noun

þorn m

1. thorn
2. thorny bush
3. the runic character ᚦ (/θ/ or /ð/)
4. the letter Þ, þ (/θ/ or /ð/)

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	þorn	þornas
accusative	þorn	þornas
genitive	þornes	þorna
dative	þorne	þornum

Derived terms

• æppelþorn
• slāhþorn
• þefanþorn
• þorniġ
• þyrnen

Descendants

• Middle English: thorn, thorne, thron, thurne, þorn, þorne, þron
  • English: thorn
  • Scots: thorn; torn (Shetland)
  • Yola: thoornes, thorns, thurns

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *þurnuz, whence also Old English þorn. From Proto-Indo-European *tr̥nós from *(s)ter- (“stiff”).

Noun

þorn m (genitive þorns, plural þornar)

1. (botany) thorn (= þyrnir m)
2. spike, esp. the tongue of a buckle, pin of a brooch

   þornar ok þistlar

   thorns and thistles

3. the letter Þ, þ

Declension

Declension of þorn (strong a-stem)

masculine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	þorn	þorninn	þornar	þornarnir
accusative	þorn	þorninn	þorna	þornana
dative	þorni	þorninum	þornum	þornunum
genitive	þorns	þornsins	þorna	þornanna

Derived terms

• þorngjǫrð f (“crown of thorns”)
• þornrunnr m (“thorn-bush”)

Descendants

• Icelandic: þorn
• Faroese: torn
• Old Swedish: þorn
  • Swedish: torn
• Norwegian: torn
• Danish: torn

Further reading

• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910), “þorn”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 514; also available at the Internet Archive