Meaning & use
blackthorn
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Meanings
nouncountable
A thorny shrub or small tree with white flowers and dark purple fruits called sloes.
Grammar: Countable; plural is 'blackthorns'. Often used in the singular to refer to the species or the wood.
Patterns
- a blackthorn bush
- blackthorn hedge
- blackthorn wood
The blackthorn blossoms early in spring, before its leaves appear.
We picked sloes from the blackthorn to make sloe gin.
A blackthorn hedge provides good nesting sites for birds.
noununcountable
The wood of this shrub, used for making walking sticks and tool handles.
Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the material; no plural form.
Patterns
- made of blackthorn
- a blackthorn stick
He carved a walking stick from a piece of blackthorn.
Blackthorn is hard and takes a fine polish.
Word forms
| plural | blackthorns |
|---|
Common combinations
- blackthorn bush
- The blackthorn bush was covered in white flowers.
- blackthorn hedge
- They planted a blackthorn hedge along the field boundary.
- blackthorn winter
- A cold spell in April is sometimes called a blackthorn winter.
- sloe from the blackthorn
- She gathered sloes from the blackthorn in October.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sloe
- Refers specifically to the fruit of the blackthorn, not the plant itself.
- hawthorn
- A different shrub with similar thorns but red berries; not the same species.
Word family
- sloe noun
- The small, sour fruit of the blackthorn.
- blackthorn winter noun
- A period of cold weather in spring when blackthorn is in bloom.
Commonly confused: blackthorn or blackberry? blackthorn or hawthorn?
blackthorn vs blackberry
Blackberry is a fruit-bearing bush with edible berries; blackthorn has sloes and sharp thorns.
blackthorn vs hawthorn
Hawthorn is a similar thorny shrub but with red berries and lobed leaves; blackthorn has white flowers and purple sloes.
Practice
Which part of the blackthorn is used to make sloe gin?
Choose one answer.
Sloe gin is made from the fruit (sloes) of the blackthorn, not from its leaves, flowers, or wood.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blackthorn”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.