Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Hawthorn \Haw"thorn`\, n. [AS. hagaborn, h[ae]g?orn. See {Haw} a
   hedge, and {Thorn}.] (Bot.)
   A thorny shrub or tree (the Crat[ae]gus oxyacantha), having
   deeply lobed, shining leaves, small, roselike, fragrant
   flowers, and a fruit called haw. It is much used in Europe
   for hedges, and for standards in gardens. The American
   hawthorn is Crat[ae]gus cordata, which has the leaves but
   little lobed.

         Gives not the hawthorn bush a sweeter shade To
         shepherds?                               --Shak.

Source : WordNet®

hawthorn
     n : a spring-flowering shrub or small tree of the genus
         Crataegus [syn: {haw}]