thistle

[ this-uhl ]
See synonyms for thistle on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of various prickly, composite plants having showy, purple flower heads, especially of the genera Cirsium, Carduus, or Onopordum.

  2. any of various other prickly plants.

Origin of thistle

1
before 900; Middle English thistel,Old English; cognate with Dutch distel,German Distel,Old Norse thistill

Other words from thistle

  • this·tle·like, adjective

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How to use thistle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for thistle (1 of 2)

thistle

/ (ˈθɪsəl) /


noun
  1. any of numerous plants of the genera Cirsium, Carduus, and related genera, having prickly-edged leaves, pink, purple, yellow, or white dense flower heads, and feathery hairs on the seeds: family Asteraceae (composites)

  2. a thistle, or a representation of one, as the national emblem of Scotland

Origin of thistle

1
Old English thīstel, related to Old Saxon, Old High German thīstil, Old Norse thīstill

Derived forms of thistle

  • thistly, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for Thistle (2 of 2)

Thistle

/ (ˈθɪsəl) /


nounthe Thistle
  1. (sometimes not capital)

    • the emblem of this Order

    • membership of this Order

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012