twig

1
[ twig ]
See synonyms for: twigtwiggedtwiggingtwigs on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a slender shoot of a tree or other plant.

  2. a small offshoot from a branch or stem.

  1. a small, dry, woody piece fallen from a branch: a fire of twigs.

  2. Anatomy. one of the minute branches of a blood vessel or nerve.

Origin of twig

1
First recorded before 950; Middle English twig, twig(g)e; Old English twig, twigge, twī originally “(something) divided in two”; akin to Old High German zwīg (German Zweig ), Dutch twijg; compare Sanskrit dvikás “double”; see origin at twi-

Other words from twig

  • twigless, adjective
  • twiglike, adjective

Words Nearby twig

Other definitions for twig (2 of 3)

twig2
[ twig ]

verb (used with object),twigged, twig·ging.
  1. to look at; observe: Now, twig the man climbing there, will you?

  2. to see; perceive: Do you twig the difference in colors?

  1. to understand.

verb (used without object),twigged, twig·ging.
  1. to understand.

Origin of twig

2
First recorded in 1760–70; of uncertain origin; perhaps from Irish tuigim “I understand”

Other definitions for twig (3 of 3)

twig3
[ twig ]

nounBritish Archaic.
  1. style; fashion.

Origin of twig

3
First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use twig in a sentence

  • Not even the tiniest twig from a tree falls unnoticed in this media forest.

    Fix the Country Already! | Walter Shapiro | March 17, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Suddenly, we hear the sound of a twig cracking; all three men look around anxiously, particularly JASON.

  • To drop on one knee and level his piece was the work of an instant, but unfortunately he snapped a dry twig in doing so.

    Hunting the Lions | R.M. Ballantyne
  • He clutches at a sharp point of rock here, or a twig there; but if it is not as safe as he believed, woe unto him!

  • There was a quiet, cynical smile on his face as he sat there beating a tattoo on his leggings with a hickory twig.

  • Burn the male olive-branch and the pine twig and juniper, and let the blazing laurel crackle amid the hearth.

  • Not a twig broke as they crept up the side of the deep ravine and looked out at the herd.

    The Later Cave-Men | Katharine Elizabeth Dopp

British Dictionary definitions for twig (1 of 2)

twig1

/ (twɪɡ) /


noun
  1. any small branch or shoot of a tree or other woody plant

  2. something resembling this, esp a minute branch of a blood vessel

Origin of twig

1
Old English twigge; related to Old Norse dvika consisting of two, Old High German zwīg twig, Old Danish tvige fork

Derived forms of twig

  • twiglike, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for twig (2 of 2)

twig2

/ (twɪɡ) /


verbtwigs, twigging or twigged British informal
  1. to understand (something)

  2. to find out or suddenly comprehend (something): he hasn't twigged yet

  1. (tr) rare to perceive (something)

Origin of twig

2
C18: perhaps from Gaelic tuig I understand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012