Figurative thinking for a person is a natural process that forms a certain picture that describes a situation or a memory. And if positive events create sunny, bright and joyful images in the imagination, then difficulties and problems often appear before the eyes as an obstacle, and the memory persistently palms off a strange word and a question about it - what are thorns? On the basis of stable phrases, a direct association with certain obstacles arises. And the image of the crucified Christ in the corresponding prickly crown has long been entrenched not only in religious, but also in popular culture. It is easy to understand, because this is a concept that unites a large group of plants.
Evolution of the word
The concept under study comes from the word "turn". Although the original is more commonly used today to refer to a thorny shrub, a stunted plum tree, or its fruits, many derivative words have come from it, which mean:
- shrub with thorns;
- thorn;
- thorn.
You can safely say that these are thorns. The very first, and already obsolete, meaning used by the scribes was used in relation to any plant, the touch of which could result in a painful prick. conceptoften specified, limiting it to a certain part of such a plant:
- branches;
- needles;
- fruits.
An alternative option is also possible. It is quite dangerous to make your way through bushes with long thorns. They tear clothes, leave scratches, cause terrible pain to the unwary traveler, and can be poisonous. And in this case, we can say that thorns are an obstacle that can be passed out of great stubbornness or for the sake of a great goal.
Someone, remembering the phrase "through thorns to the stars", literally follows the Latin saying and tries to conquer and explore outer space. Others are guided by mundane motives and are simply trying 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 caught without difficulty. However, problems of a different kind arise: the definition stands out in the lexicon of the XXI century, it seems outdated.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.
Relevance of the word
And yet it has not lost its flavor. You can show off your erudition, show off in front of your students, or create an ominous atmosphere by saying about thickets of nettles or a gooseberry bush that these are thorns. It sounds expressive, corresponds to reality, but the main thing is that it adds one more epithet to the lexiconfor dangerous, harmful and prickly things! And within the framework of artistic activity, it will turn out to be indispensable for writers and screenwriters to display the difficult path of the protagonist.
