hawthorn Definition
haw·thorn (hô′t̸hôrn′)
noun
any of a group of thorny shrubs and small trees (genus Crataegus) of the rose family, with white, pink, or red flowers and usually red fruits (haws) resembling miniature cherries
Etymology: lit., hedge thorn < ME hagethorn < OE hagathorn < haga, hedge, haw + thorn, akin to Ger hagedorn
hawthorn Usage Examples
Converse of object
- include: Hedges on the slopes and along the narrow lanes include hawthorn, hazel and beech.
- remove: We will be removing hawthorn from the chalk grasslands and laying a hedge.
- rise: The species planted are: blackthorn, dogwood, field maple, guelder rose, hawthorn and hazel.
- contain: The hedges contains hawthorn, hazel, field maple, spindle, rose and holly.
- use: The hawthorn used to flower around May Day and was central to the ancient customs of the coming of summer.
Preposition: in
blossom: It was there he is struck speechless by the beauty of hawthorns in blossom.
Adjective modifier
- common: The Glastonbury Thorn is simply a sport of common hawthorn, unusual but not unknown elsewhere.
- old: An old hawthorn hedge A mixture of species within a native hedgerow is an excellent habitat for small birds and mammals too.
- hazel: Scrub regeneration includes hazel, elder, hawthorn and sallow.
- elder: The understorey is a sparse layer of elder, hawthorn with some regenerating cherry.
- young: Hedge-laying The younger hawthorns between ourselves and our neighbor's gardens were at a perfect stage for laying.
Modifies a noun
- blossom: Images of natural objects - the broken egg, the pine cones, the trampled hawthorn blossom - carry strong messages of violence.
- hedge: Hidden in a hawthorn hedge opposite MGM Garden & Leisure.
- berry: Hawthorn berries are also good for increasing the circulation.
- scrub: The surrounding hawthorn scrub provides excellent nesting habitat for small birds.
- bush: He died spell bound by his mistress Vivian, in a hawthorn bush.
- hedgerow: However, in this LCA, predominantly hawthorn hedgerows are generally overgrown.
Noun used with modifier
- water: Water lilies in their many varieties and water hawthorn are both lovely and provide shade for the pond's surface.
- canal-side: Ten or twenty House Martins hawk for insects above the canal-side hawthorns.
- midland: All the other ancient forest trees in quantity - small leaved lime, hornbeam, sessile oak, midland hawthorn.
Browse dictionary entries near hawthorn
- ‹ hawser-laid
- ‹ hawser
- ‹ hawsepipe
- ‹ hawsehole
- ‹ hawse
- ‹ Haworth
- ‹ hawkweed
- ‹ Hawksmoor
- ‹ hawkshaw
- ‹ hawksbill (turtle)

