thorny

See also: Þorný

English

Etymology

From Middle English thorny, þorny, þorni, from Old English þorniġ (“full of thorns; thorny”), from Proto-Germanic *þurnugaz (“thorny”), equivalent to thorn +‎ -y. Cognate with West Frisian toarnich (“thorny”), Dutch doornig (“thorny”), Low German doornig (“thorny”), German dornig (“thorny”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈθɔːni/
• IPA^(key): /ˈθɔɹni/
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)ni

Adjective

thorny (comparative thornier, superlative thorniest)

1. having thorns or spines
2. troublesome or vexatious
   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     the steep and thorny way to heaven

3. aloof and irritable
   • (Can we date this quote?), Louisa May Alcott, Good Wives

     'Come, Jo, don't be thorny. After studying himself to a skeleton all the week, a fellow deserves petting, and ought to get it.'

Derived terms

• thorniness
• thorny restharrow
• thorny trefoil

Translations

having thorns

• Arabic: شَائِك (šāʔik)
• Armenian: փշոտ (hy) (pʻšot)
• Assamese: কাঁইটীয়া (kãitia)
• Bulgarian: бодлив (bg) m (bodliv)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Esperanto: dorna
• Finnish: piikikäs, okainen
• French: épineux (fr)
• Greek: αγκαθερός (el) (agkatherós)

  Ancient: ἀκάνθινος (akánthinos), ἀκανθώδης (akanthṓdēs)

• Icelandic: þyrnóttur m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: spinoso (it) m
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: spīnifer, spīnōsus
• Latvian: ērkšķains
• Macedonian: трнлив (trnliv), боцкав (bockav)
• Maori: pūtaratara, kōtaratara
• Portuguese: espinhento, espinhoso (pt)
• Russian: колю́чий (ru) (koljúčij), терни́стый (ru) (ternístyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: droighneach, deilgneach
• Spanish: espinoso (es), espinudo (es) (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Nicaragua)

troublesome

• Arabic: شَائِك (šāʔik)
• Esperanto: dorna
• Finnish: piikikäs
• French: épineux (fr)
• Italian: spinoso (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Macedonian: трнлив (trnliv), мачен (mačen)
• Maori: whakahōhā, kūrakuraku, pōrahurahu, whakatōwenewene
• Portuguese: espinhoso (pt)
• Russian: терни́стый (ru) (ternístyj), тру́дный (ru) (trúdnyj)
• Spanish: espinoso (es), espinudo (es) (colloquial, Argentina, Chile, Guatemala), peliagudo (es)

Anagrams

• rhyton

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Middle English

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old English þorniġ, from Proto-Germanic *þurnugaz; equivalent to thorn +‎ -y.

Alternative forms

• þorny, þorni, thornye, thornee

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈθɔrniː/

Adjective

thorny

1. Having many thorns or spines; thorny.
2. (rare) Covered in thorny plants.
3. (rare) Having a shape like a thorn.

Descendants

• English: thorny
• Scots: thorny

References

• “thornī (adj.)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-09-12.

Etymology 2

From thorn +‎ -en (“infinitival suffix”).

Verb

thorny

1. Alternative form of thornen