trellis
Americannoun
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a frame or structure of latticework; lattice.
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a framework of this kind used as a support for growing vines or plants.
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a summerhouse, gazebo, arch, etc., made chiefly or completely of latticework.
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Heraldry. a charge of bendlets overlying bendlets sinister, the whole being cloué at the crossings.
verb (used with object)
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to furnish with a trellis.
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to enclose in a trellis.
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to train or support on a trellis.
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to form into or like a trellis.
noun
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a structure or pattern of latticework, esp one used to support climbing plants
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an arch made of latticework
verb
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to interweave (strips of wood, etc) to make a trellis
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to provide or support with a trellis
Other Word Forms
- trellis-like adjective
Etymology
Origin of trellis
1350–1400; Middle English trelis < Middle French (noun) < Late Latin trilīcius (for Latin trilīx ) woven with three threads, equivalent to Latin tri- tri- + līci ( um ) thread + -us adj. suffix
Explanation
A trellis is a type of structure used to guide and support climbing plants such as ivy. Trellis is related to words for woven fabrics, and that can help you remember how a trellis looks: the material, usually a type of wood, is criss-crossed in a latticework. The purpose of the trellis is to support climbing plants, which can't stand straight like a tree or houseplant. With the aid of the trellis, the climbing plant wraps around the trellis and adds decoration to a garden. Sometimes trellis is used as a metaphor for other kinds of support.
Vocabulary lists containing trellis
Our Town
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Born a Crime
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The Miracle Worker
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It acts like a scaffold for nerves to grow along like a rose on a trellis," Dr Alex Woods explains, holding threads of silk worthy of Spider-man.
From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026
The couple are also planning to put a pool and “inset spa” in the backyard, while also building a pool deck and a boardwalk, as well as a trellis.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 17, 2025
A plant-covered trellis, known as “the hanging garden,” provides a more compressed moment of pause.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2025
Although Snyderman decided to keep the interior of the room visible, he built a free-standing trellis for track lighting.
From New York Times • May 2, 2024
I squeezed between the trellis and the wall.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
