Recent Examples on the WebThe war has displaced some 100,000 people in the south and forced farmers to leave their land untended, with leaves layered eight inches deep and crops crowded by neck-high thistles — all ready fuel for any conflagration.—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024 The one real road is banked with thistles five feet high.—Antonia Quirke, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 May 2024 During scorching Spanish heat waves, Herrera measured the temperature inside thistle flower heads and the ambient air temperature less than an inch away.—Elizabeth Anne Brown, Scientific American, 27 Feb. 2024 To help the birds survive the cold, Winger said, people can provide seeds in bird feeders or thistle feeders.—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 19 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for thistle
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thistle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English thistel, from Old English; akin to Old High German distill thistle
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of thistle was
before the 12th century
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