Figurative thinking for a person is a natural process that forms a kind of picture that describes a situation or memory. And if positive events create sunny, bright and joyful images in your imagination, then difficulties and problems often appear before your eyes as a barrier, and memory insistently palm off a strange word and a question regarding it - what are thorns? On the basis of persistent phrases, there is a direct association with certain obstacles. And the image of the crucified Christ in the corresponding prickly crown has long been fixed not only in religious, but also in popular culture. It’s easy to understand, because this is a concept that unites a large group of plants.
Word evolution
The investigated concept comes from the word "turn". Although the original today more often denotes a thorny shrub, a stunted plum tree or its fruits, many derivative words have come from it, which indicate:
- bush with thorns;
- thorn;
- spike.
You can safely say that these are thorns. The very first, and already outdated value that the scribes used was used with respect to any plant whose touch could result in a painful injection. The concept is often specified, limiting it to a specific part of such a plant:
An alternative is also possible. Wading through bushes with long spikes is quite dangerous. They tear clothes, leave scratches, cause terrible pain to the careless traveler and can be poisonous. And in this case, we can say that thorns are a barrier that can be overcome from great obstinacy or for a great purpose.
Someone, recalling the phrase “through thorns to the stars”, literally follows the Latin dictum and tries to conquer and explore outer space. Others are guided by mundane motives and simply try to make their lives and those around them a little better, ignoring the circumstances!
Terms of use
How relevant will the word be in today's world? Contemporaries most often understand that “thorns” are something prickly and very unpleasant. Therefore, the general meaning of the phrase will be easily recognized. However, problems of a different kind arise: the definition stands out in the lexicon of the XXI century, it seems outdated. There are many capacious and more expressive analogues in youth slang.
The relevance of the word
And yet it has not lost its color. You can shine with erudition, show off in front of students or create an ominous atmosphere by saying about the nettle thicket or gooseberry bush that these are thorns. It sounds expressive, consistent with reality, but most importantly - it adds another epithet to the lexicon for dangerous, harmful and prickly things! And within the framework of artistic activity, it will turn out to be indispensable for writers and screenwriters to reflect the difficult path of the protagonist.