tendril

American  

[ten-dril] / ˈtɛn drɪl /

noun

Botany.

1. 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.

---

tendril British  

/ ˈtɛndrɪl /

noun

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

2. something resembling a tendril, such as a wisp of hair

---

tendril Scientific  

/ tĕn′drəl /

1. 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.

---

Other Word Forms

• tendrillar
  adjective
• tendrilly
  adjective
• tendrilous
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of tendril

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

Explanation

Plants don't have arms or tentacles, but they have something a tiny bit similar: tendrils. Tendrils are thin organs of plants that wrap around other objects for support. Tendrils are very thin, stem-like appendages that stretch outward from the plant. The main purpose of the tendrils is to support the plant: the tendrils wrap around objects (like a post or fence) to help keep the plant upright, which helps it receive sunlight. Tendrils are an example of how, even without a brain, plants are pretty smart.

Example Sentences

A few weeks later, a wispy tendril starts out, climbing up the wooden support.

From Salon • May 9, 2026

A few painstaking moments later and he has freed his bounty—a small caterpillar perhaps an inch long, caked in earth with a reddish tendril of fungus sprouting from its head.

From National Geographic • Jan. 4, 2024

A twisty tendril of vapor in white-to-red ombre could be seen snaking behind a bright white light in parts of South Korea’s sky Friday evening.

From Washington Times • Dec. 30, 2022

At one point, she reached out and gently brushed a loose tendril out of the face of the nurse attending her.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2022

Like ivy twining up a wall, a tendril of fear snaked ’round Penelope’s heart.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood