tendril

[ ten-dril ]

/ ˈtɛn drɪl /

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See synonyms for: tendril / tendrils / tendrillar on Thesaurus.com

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.

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Origin of tendril

1530–40; earlier tendrel, variant (perhaps by dissimilation) of Middle English tendren, tendron<Middle French tendron shoot, sprout, cartilage

OTHER WORDS FROM tendril

ten·dril·lar, ten·dril·ous, adjectiveten·dril·ly, adjective

Words nearby tendril

tender-minded, tender offer, tendinitis, tendinous, tendon, tendril, tend to, tendu, Tendulkar, -tene, Tenebrae

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tendril in a sentence

Their tendrils, which usually move in all directions as they slowly feel their way through their surroundings to find supporting structures to grow on, stopped searching and started to spiral on the spot.
Plants Feel Pain and Might Even See - Issue 104: Harmony|Peter Wohlleben|July 21, 2021|Nautilus
They could have admired the ruby tendrils of Plagiomnium insigne, or gazed upon the tiny beards of Racomitrium canescens.
Why and how to grow your own moss garden|John Kennedy|July 20, 2021|Popular-Science
Herndon’s point is specifically that Juneteenth emerged at a moment when discussion of the tendrils of slavery is being curtailed.
Embracing Juneteenth is entirely consistent with the pushback against discussing racism in schools|Philip Bump|June 17, 2021|Washington Post
Of course, it will take more than a few lectures to address centuries-old disparities in medical care, particularly because systemic racism has so many tendrils.
How U.S. Medical Schools Are Training a Post-Pandemic Generation of Doctors|Jamie Ducharme|November 24, 2020|Time

In further analyses, the team found layers of tissue wrapped around tendrils in the brain tissue.
These human nerve cell tendrils turned to glass nearly 2,000 years ago|Laura Sanders|October 30, 2020|Science News
One woman is focused intently on wrapping and unwrapping a tendril of hair around her finger.
If Porn Isn’t Art, Does It Still Have a Right to Exist?|Michael Stabile|May 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The palpi of the male are in this species each provided with a spiral screw resembling the tendril of a vine.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
At last he freed himself from the vine, but a tendril still clung to his horns like a crown of green.
Kari the Elephant|Dhan Gopal Mukerji
For answer, Menotah snatched a long tendril of bright green from a neighbouring bush.
Menotah|Ernest G. Henham
Something of this farm struck a tendril into my heart which neither time nor distance could break.
The Affable Stranger|Peter McArthur
But there was something odd—Dalgard brushed aside a tendril of weed which cut his line of vision and so was able to see clearly.
Star Born|Andre Norton

British Dictionary definitions for tendril

tendril

/ (ˈtɛndrɪl) /

noun

a specialized threadlike part of a leaf or stem that attaches climbing plants to a support by twining or adhering

something resembling a tendril, such as a wisp of hair

Derived forms of tendril

tendrillar or tendrilous, adjective

Word Origin for tendril

C16: perhaps from Old French tendron tendril (confused with Old French tendron bud), from Medieval Latin tendō tendon

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

Scientific definitions for tendril

tendril

[ tĕn′drəl ]

A slender, coiling plant part, often a modified leaf or leaf part, that helps support the stem of some climbing angiosperms by clinging to or winding around an object. Peas, squash, and grapes produce tendrils.

tendril

Origin of tendril

OTHER WORDS FROM tendril

Words nearby tendril

Words related to tendril

How to use tendril in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tendril

Derived forms of tendril

Word Origin for tendril

Scientific definitions for tendril