Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

tendril

 - 3 dictionary results

ten⋅dril

  [ten-dril]
Use tendril in a Sentence
–noun Botany.
a threadlike, leafless organ of climbing plants, often growing in spiral form, which attaches itself to or twines round some other body, so as to support the plant.
Origin:
1530–40; earlier tendrel, var. (perh. by dissimilation) of ME tendren, tendron < MF tendron shoot, sprout, cartilage

Related forms:
ten⋅dril⋅lar, ten⋅dril⋅ous, adjective
ten⋅dril⋅ly, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tendril
ten·dril   (těn'drəl)   
n.  

  1. A twisting, threadlike structure by which a twining plant, such as a grape or cucumber, grasps an object or a plant for support.

  2. Something, such as a ringlet of hair, that is long, slender, and curling.


[French tendrillon, from Old French, diminutive of tendron, young shoot, from tendre, tender; see tender1.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

tendril 
1538, from M.Fr. tendrillon "bud, shoot, cartilage," perhaps a dim. of tendron "cartilage," from O.Fr. tendre "soft" (see tender (adj.)), or else from L. tendere "to stretch, extend" (see tender (v.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see tendril on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way