crown of thorns

crown of thorns
1. a climbing spurge, Euphorbia milii splendens, of Madagascar, having stems covered with spines.
2. See crown of thorns starfish.
3. a painful burden, as of suffering, guilt, anxiety, etc.: from the wreath of thorns placed on Jesus' head to mock Him before He was crucified. Matt. 27:29; Mark 15:17; John 19:2, 5.
[bef. 950; ME; OE]

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▪ plant
also called  Christ thorn (Euphorbia splendens or E. milii) 
 thorny vinelike plant of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), popular as a houseplant and in the tropics as a garden shrub. Flowering is year-round, but most plentiful in wintertime in the Northern Hemisphere. The sprawling, branching, vinelike stems attain lengths of more than two metres (seven feet). Native to Madagascar, crown of thorns has stout, gray spines, oval leaves that drop as they age, and paired clusters of small flowers surrounded by two light-red bracts (leaflike structures attached just below flowers). Various forms are available with yellow or deep-red bracts.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Crown of Thorns — • Mentioned by three Evangelists and is often alluded to by the early Christian Fathers, such as Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and others, but there are comparatively few writers of the first six centuries who speak of it as a relic known to be… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • crown of thorns — n. 1. a coral eating starfish (Acanthaster planci) of the tropical Pacific region, having arms covered with long spines: also crown of thorns starfish or crown of thorns 2. a shrub (Euphorbia milii) of the spurge family, having long spines and… …   English World dictionary

  • crown of thorns — crown′ of thorns′ n. 1) pln a climbing spurge, Euphorbia milii splendens, of Madagascar, having spiny stems and flowers with petallike red bracts 2) ivt Also, crown′ of thorns′. a starfish, Acanthaster planci that feeds on living coral polyps,… …   From formal English to slang

  • crown-of-thorns — (kroun əv thôrnzʹ) n. 1. A trailing or climbing spiny shrub (Euphorbia milii) native to Madagascar and cultivated as a houseplant, having showy flower clusters with usually red, petallike bracts. 2. The Christ s thorn. * * * …   Universalium

  • Crown of Thorns — For other uses, see Crown of Thorns (disambiguation). Jesus Carrying the Cross as portrayed by El Greco 1580 …   Wikipedia

  • crown of thorns — noun 1. somewhat climbing bushy spurge of Madagascar having long woody spiny stems with few leaves and flowers with scarlet bracts • Syn: ↑Christ thorn, ↑Christ plant, ↑Euphorbia milii • Hypernyms: ↑spurge • Member Holonyms: ↑Euphorbia …   Useful english dictionary

  • Crown of Thorns — The Crown Gründung 1990 als Crown of Thorns 1998 als The Crown Auflösung 2004 Genre Thrash Metal, Death Metal Gründungsmitglieder Gesang Johan Lindstrand (bis 2001, ab 2002) Gitarre …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • crown of thorns — Date: 1964 a starfish (Acanthaster planci) of the Pacific region that is covered with long spines and feeds on coral polyps sometimes causing destruction of coral reefs called also crown of thorns starfish …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • crown-of-thorns — dygliuotoji karpažolė statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Karpažolinių šeimos dekoratyvinis nuodingas augalas (Euphorbia milii), paplitęs Madagaskare. atitikmenys: lot. Euphorbia milii angl. Christ s plant; Christ s thorn; crown of thorns isp.… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • Crown-of-thorns starfish — On a reef in Fiji, 2005. Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

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