crown of thornsn.

Etymology: In α. forms < crown n. + of prep. + the plural of thorn n., in β. forms < crown n. + of prep. + thorn n.; both after post-classical Latin spinea corona (Vulgate: Mark 15:17 and John 19:5), itself after Hellenistic Greek ἀκάνθινος στέφανος (New Testament). Compare Middle French couronne d'espines (second half of the 14th cent.; French couronne d'épines ). Compare also Old English ðyrnen corōna , Middle English thornen croune , lit. ‘thorn crown, crown made of thorn’ (compare crown n. 1b and thornen adj.), and similarly Middle Dutch dōrnine crōne, dōrnecrōne (Dutch doornenkroon), Middle Low German dōrnen krōne, dōrnekrōne, Middle High German durnen chrōn (German Dornenkrone).Two other passages of the Vulgate have plectentes coronam de spinis , lit. (of the soldiers guarding Jesus) ‘twisting together a crown of or from thorns’ (Matthew 27:29 and John 19:2, after Hellenistic Greek πλέξαντες στέφανον ἐξ ἀκανθῶν (New Testament)). The syntax of this is ambiguous, and while it is likely that the phrase de spinis was originally intended to modify the verb rather than the noun, corona de spinis has been interpreted as a noun phrase from an early date; thus it is rendered in Old English in the West Saxon Gospels as wundon ðyrnenne cynehelm (John 19:2, but not Matthew 27:29). The Old English interlinear gloss to the Lindisfarne and Rushworth Gospels (see quot. OE at sense 1) is tied to the word order of the Latin; however, the repetition of of ðornum in the former appears to be deliberately allowing for both interpretations. After the genitive with of became common in English, the translations for the different Latin constructions became indistinguishable (compare quots. c1384¹ and c1384² at sense 1).