A hawthorn tree or its flower; a thorny shrub bearing white or pink blossoms (archaic/poetic).
From Old French 'aubepine,' from 'aube' (white, related to dawn) + 'epine' (thorn, from Latin 'spina'). The word literally means 'white thorn' or 'thorn of white [flowers],' describing the hawthorn's characteristic white blossoms and thorny branches.
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