Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for willow

willow

[ wil-oh ]

noun

  1. any tree or shrub of the genus Salix, characterized by narrow, lance-shaped leaves and dense catkins bearing small flowers, many species having tough, pliable twigs or branches used for wickerwork, etc. Compare willow family.
  2. the wood of any of these trees.
  3. Informal. something, especially a cricket bat, made of willow wood.
  4. Also called willower, willy. a machine consisting essentially of a cylinder armed with spikes revolving within a spiked casing, for opening and cleaning cotton or other fiber.


verb (used with object)

  1. to treat (textile fibers) with a willow.

willow

1

/ ˈwɪləʊ /

noun

  1. any of numerous salicaceous trees and shrubs of the genus Salix, such as the weeping willow and osiers of N temperate regions, which have graceful flexible branches, flowers in catkins, and feathery seeds
  2. the whitish wood of certain of these trees
  3. something made of willow wood, such as a cricket or baseball bat
  4. a machine having a system of revolving spikes for opening and cleaning raw textile fibres


Willow

2

noun

  1. a small town in S Alaska, about 113 km (70 miles) northwest of Anchorage: chosen as the site of the projected new state capital in 1976, a plan which never came to fruition. Pop: 1658 (2000)

Discover More

Derived Forms

  • ˈwillowish, adjective

Discover More

Other Words From

  • willow·like adjective
  • willow·ish adjective

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of willow1

First recorded before 900; Middle English wilwe, variant of wilghe, Old English welig; cognate with Old Saxon wilgia, Dutch wilg, Low German wilge

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of willow1

Old English welig; related to wilige wicker basket, Old Saxon wilgia, Middle High German wilge, Greek helikē willow, helix twisted

Discover More

Example Sentences

The increasing prevalence of tall willows, an important moose habitat, is one sign of these changes in the delta.

A team of researchers from various universities in Canada and the United Kingdom may have found a sustainable solution—planting willow trees.

While this research probably isn’t ready to take on our sewage system just yet, planting more willow trees has more benefits than just their ability to clean up our waste, Pitre says.

Frédéric Pitre, one of the senior authors of the study and a professor at the Université de Montréal explained that the team was excited to see how effective the willow trees were at filtering the wastewater.

Amid all the noise, Gomes and his team deployed 720 fake caterpillars made of clay among willow trees often visited by birds.

My wife (Susie Hariet) was pregnant with our second child (they have two children, daughter Willow, 4, and son Aubrey, 2).

Earlier, a two-headed dragon in the Ron Howard flop Willow was known, at least around the set, as the “Ebersisk.”

A few feet from where we sit is the sawed-off stump of a third willow.

Two feet from the sawed-off stump of a third willow is the small foot-pump carousel Ray was sitting on when he shot himself.

Other events include a Burns Night Supper on January 24, and a willow-weaving workshop in March.

In a minute Bruce was back with his hat full of water from the creek that whimpered just beyond the willow patch.

What was equally important, a thick clump of cottonwood and willow furnished tolerably secure concealment.

He swept Aristide aside like an intercepting willow-branch, and poured forth a torrent of furious speech upon his wife.

The willow switch dropped; the various recitations came to a sudden pause.

A serious voice arrested the willow switch: I didnt like to be scolded when I was a little girl, it used to make me cry.

Advertisement

Related Words

Word of the Day

axolotl

[ak-suh-lot-l ]

Meaning and examples

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


WilloughbyWillowbrook