gaspeldoorn

Dutch

Ulex europaeus

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) gaspeldoren

Etymology

From a diminutive of Middle Dutch gaspe (“buckle”) +‎ doorn (“thorn”). The first element is a variant form of the same word that yielded modern gesp (“buckle”); an oft repeated theory to explain this etymology is that the thorns of this shrub were used as pins for clothing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɣɑs.pəlˌdɔːrn/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: gas‧pel‧doorn

Noun

gaspeldoorn m (plural gaspeldoorns, diminutive gaspeldoorntje n)

1. gorse, specifically Ulex europaeus

   Synonym: ginst

Further reading

• gaspeldoorn on the Dutch Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^nl