The Greek adjective akanthinos means 'made of thorns' or 'thorny' — composed of or relating to the akantha (thorn, thornbush). It appears exclusively in the Passion narratives describing the crown of thorns placed on Jesus' head as a mockery of his kingship.
The akanthinos crown is one of the most theologically charged objects in the entire New Testament. Roman soldiers twisted thorn-branches into a crown and pressed it onto Jesus' head, mocking him as 'King of the Jews' (Mark 15:17; John 19:5). The irony is profound on multiple levels. Thorns first appear in Genesis 3:18 as part of the curse that fell on creation after Adam's sin: 'Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you.' By wearing the crown of thorns, Christ literally bore the curse of the fall — the very sign of humanity's rebellion against God became his crown. The mockery of the soldiers was unwittingly the deepest truth: here was the King who came to bear the curse so his people might be freed from it. 'Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us' (Galatians 3:13).