crown of thorns

Calque of Latin spinea corona, itself a calque of Hellenistic Ancient Greek ἀκάνθινος στέφανος (akánthinos stéphanos).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌkɹaʊn əv ˈθɔːnz/

crown of thorns (plural crowns of thorns)

1. (Christianity) The crown made of a thorny plant that Christ was forced to wear before his Crucifixion, in mocking reference to his alleged status as ‘king of the Jews’, or a representation of this. [from 10th c.]
2. A spiny Mediterranean tree, Ziziphus spina-christi. [from 19th c.]
3. A spiny spurge, Euphorbia milii, native to Madagascar. [from 19th c.]
4. The plant Koeberlinia spinosa.
5. A large starfish with venemous spines, Acanthaster planci. [from 20th c.]
6. A woodworking technique, used in tramp art, in which interlocking pieces are notched to intersect at right angles and form joints and self-supporting objects.

• crown of thorns on Wikipedia.Wikipedia