n.
Pronunciation: - ˌ tho ̇ rn
Function: noun
Date: 1578
1 : any of a genus ( Rhamnus of the family Rhamnaceae, the buckthorn family) of often thorny trees or shrubs some of which yield purgatives or pigments
2 : a shrub or small tree ( Bumelia lycioides ) of the sapodilla family of the southern U.S.