# crown of thorns

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌkɹaʊn əv ˈθɔːnz/

## Definitions
1. The crown made of a thorny plant that Christ was forced to wear before his Crucifixion, in mocking reference to his alleged status as ‘king of the Jews’, or a representation of this.
2. A spiny Mediterranean tree, Ziziphus spina-christi.
3. A spiny spurge, Euphorbia milii, native to Madagascar.
4. The plant Koeberlinia spinosa.
5. Ellipsis of crown-of-thorns starfish
6. A woodworking technique, used in tramp art, in which interlocking pieces are notched to intersect at right angles and form joints and self-supporting objects.

## Etymology
Calque of Latin spinea corona, itself a calque of Hellenistic Ancient Greek ἀκάνθινος στέφανος (akánthinos stéphanos).

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