WordNet
n. any affliction that causes great suffering; "that is his cross to bear"; "he bears his afflictions like a crown of thorns" [syn: cross]
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]
a mock crown made of thorn branches that Roman soldiers placed on Jesus before the Crucifixion
Wikipedia
According to three of the canonical Gospels a woven crown of thorns was placed on the head of Jesus during the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus. It was one of the instruments of the Passion, employed by Jesus' captors both to cause him pain and to mock his claim of authority. It is mentioned in the gospels of Matthew (27:29), Mark (15:17), and John (19:2, 5) and is often alluded to by the early Church Fathers, such as Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and others.
In later centuries, relics believed by many to be all or part of the Crown of Thorns have been venerated.
Crown of Thorns may refer to:
The Crown of Thorns (puzzle work) is a woodworking technique of tramp art using interlocking wooden pieces that are notched to intersect at right angles forming joints and self-supporting objects, objects that have a "prickly" and transparent quality. Common examples include wreath-shaped picture frames that look similar to Jesus' " crown of thorns".
Larger-scale crowns may use the principles of tensegrity structures, where the wooden sticks provide rigidity and separate cables in tension carry the forces that hold them together.
Crown of Thorns is the solo debut album from American rapper Rakaa of the Dilated Peoples crew. It was released on Decon in 2010.
Usage examples of "crown of thorns".
By then the pain had become a constricting crown of thorns, squeezing ever more tightly about his head until he was sure his skull would eventually burst.
The crown of thorns sprang away from His head like a lute string snapping.
Jesus, the finger pointing to the crown of thorns around his heart.
In an ampoule, lying on a cushion of little withered roses, there was a portion of the crown of thorns.
He had sent his only begotten Son into the world, and something had gone wrong with the fix, someone had turned off the net, so that He couldn't get to him, and they had arrested him and put a crown of thorns on his head and nailed him to a cross.