cockspur
/ˈkɑkˌspɜr/
noun
- A sharp, pointed growth on the leg of a male chicken (rooster), used for fighting or defense.
- The old hen had a scar from a rival's sharp cockspur.
- Farmers sometimes trim a rooster's cockspur to prevent injury to other birds.
- The rooster's cockspur was long and curved, a sign of its age.
- A type of hawthorn tree or shrub (Crataegus crus-galli) with long, sharp thorns, native to eastern North America.
- The cockspur hawthorn is popular in landscaping for its white flowers and red fruit.
- The sharp thorns of the cockspur made it difficult to prune without gloves.
- We planted a cockspur along the fence line to create a natural barrier.