buckthorn

buckt·horn

UK/ˈbʌk.θɔːn/ US/ˈbʌk.θɔɹn/ uncommon

noun

a shrub or shrubby tree of the genus Rhamnus; fruits are source of yellow dyes or pigments

any shrub or small tree of the genus Bumelia

an Old World plantain with long narrow ribbed leaves widely established in temperate regions

Synonyms

Origin

Calque of Latin cervī spīna (“deer's thorny shrub”), cervi (“deer's”) being the genitive singular of cervus (“deer”), from Proto-Italic *kerwos, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥h₂wós, from *ḱerh₂- (“horn”) + *-wós, spīna (“thorny shrub”) from Proto-Italic *speinā, from Proto-Indo-European *spey- (“sharp point”). By surface analysis, buck + thorn.

Phrases

alder buckthorn - Frangula alnus
alderleaf buckthorn - Rhamnus alnifolia
buckthorn bully - Sideroxylon lycioides
California buckthorn - Frangula californica
Carolina buckthorn - Frangula caroliniana
Cascara buckthorn - Frangula purshiana
Chinese buckthorn - Rhamnus utilis
Frangula caroliniana

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Parts

Part of

buckthorn berry

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.