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Thorn vs Splinter - What's the difference?

thorn | splinter |

As nouns the difference between thorn and splinter

is that thorn is a sharp protective spine of a plant while splinter is a long, sharp fragment of material, often wood.

As verbs the difference between thorn and splinter

is that thorn is to pierce with, or as if with, a thorn while splinter is to come apart into long sharp fragments.

As a proper noun Thorn

is {{surname|topographic|from=Middle English}} for someone living near a thorn bush.

thorn

English

(wikipedia thorn)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A sharp protective spine of a plant.
  • Any shrub or small tree that bears thorns.
  • the white thorn'''; the cockspur '''thorn
  • (figurative) That which pricks or annoys; anything troublesome.
  • * Bible, 2 Corinthians xii. 7
  • There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me.
  • * South
  • The guilt of empire, all its thorns and cares, / Be only mine.
  • A letter of the Latin alphabet (capital:'' Þ''', ''small:'' '''þ'''), borrowed by Old English from the futhark to represent a dental fricative, then not distinguished from eth, but in modern use (in Icelandic and other languages, but no longer in English) used only for the voiceless dental fricative found in English '' '''th igh
  • * See also Etymology of ye (definite article).
  • Derived terms

    * thorn apple * thorn broom * thornbush * thorn devil * thorn hopper * thorn in one's side * Thornton * thorny

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To pierce with, or as if with, a
  • * {{quote-book, year=1869, author=, title=Old Town Folks citation
  • , passage=
  • * {{quote-book, year=2003, author=Scott D. Zachary, title=Scorn This, pageurl=http://books.google.com/books?id=HELSK5JtSbMC&pg=PA175, page=175
  • , passage=Even Judge Bradley's callused sentiments were thorned by the narration of Jaclyn's journals.}}

    See also

    * eth, edh, * wynn, wen, *

    Anagrams

    * * ----

    splinter

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A long, sharp fragment of material, often wood.
  • A group that formed by splitting off from a larger membership.
  • Synonyms

    * (long sharp fragment) shard, spelk. * (group formed by splitting) faction, splinter group.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To come apart into long sharp fragments.
  • The tall tree splintered during the storm.
  • To cause to break apart into long sharp fragments.
  • His third kick splintered the door.
  • * Prescott
  • After splintering their lances, they wheeled about, and abandoned the field to the enemy.
  • (figuratively, of a group) To break, or cause to break, into factions.
  • The government splintered when the coalition members could not agree.
    The unpopular new policies splintered the company.
  • To fasten or confine with splinters, or splints, as a broken limb.
  • (Bishop Wren)