Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

buckthorn

/ˈbʌk.θɔɹn/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.08 in modern English

Syllables
buck-thorn
IPA
/ˈbʌk.θɔɹn/
20
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of several, often thorny shrubs or small trees, especially

noun

Any of several, often thorny shrubs or small trees, especially

noun

Any of several, often thorny shrubs or small trees, especially

noun

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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *kerwos, *ḱr̥h₂wós, *speinā, *spey-

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈbʌk.θɔɹn/
  • British English: /ˈbʌk.θɔːn/

Inflected Forms

buckthorns (plural)

Phrases

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

Synonyms

english plantain narrow-leaved plantain ribgrass ribwort ripple-grass plantago lanceolata

Questions

How do you pronounce buckthorn?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbʌk.θɔɹn/.
What does buckthorn mean?
Any of several, often thorny shrubs or small trees, especially
Where does buckthorn come from?
It is traced to Proto-Indo-European.

How to pronounce buckthorn

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “buckthorn”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbʌk.θɔɹn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “buckthorn”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “buckthorn” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.