# buckthorn

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbʌk.θɔːn/ · frequency rank #86,093

## Definitions
1. Any of several, often thorny shrubs or small trees, especially
2. Any of several, often thorny shrubs or small trees, especially
3. Any of several, often thorny shrubs or small trees, especially
4. Any of several, often thorny shrubs or small trees, especially

## Etymology
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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/buckthorn