whitethorn

noun

1

a

: a hawthorn (Crataegus oxycantha)

b

: scarlet haw

2

: any of several acacias that have peeling bark which gives the trunk a whitish appearance

3

: a whitish-barked shrub (Ceanothus incana) of the coastal mountains of the western U.S. that has often spinose branchlets, leaves whitish beneath, and small white flowers in panicles

Word History

Etymology

Middle English white thorn, from white + thorn

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