trellis

American  

[trel-is] / ˈtrɛl ɪs /

noun

• trellises
  plural

1. a frame or structure of latticework; lattice.

2. a framework of this kind used as a support for growing vines or plants.

3. a summerhouse, gazebo, arch, etc., made chiefly or completely of latticework.

4. Heraldry. a charge of bendlets overlying bendlets sinister, the whole being cloué at the crossings.

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verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with a trellis.

2. to enclose in a trellis.

3. to train or support on a trellis.

4. to form into or like a trellis.

trellis British  

/ ˈtrɛlɪs /

noun

1. a structure or pattern of latticework, esp one used to support climbing plants

2. an arch made of latticework

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verb

1. to interweave (strips of wood, etc) to make a trellis

2. to provide or support with a trellis

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• trellis-like
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• trellises
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trellis trellises

"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

“It’s what you would buy if you were going to grow a couple of tomatoes and maybe a miniature eggplant on a trellis on your patio.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2024

In another, a clematis trellis borders the garage.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 8, 2023

The house was low and long with a trellis with a grape-vine over the door.

From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway

Here, the grapes that tangled themselves around corner-bar trellises all summer fall frozen to the sidewalk, shattering softly underfoot.

From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2026

Another complication is that to accommodate robotic pickers, many farmers would need to plant new orchards with apples growing on trellises rather than in rows of traditional lollipop-shaped trees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025

We come to a row house with a garden filled with leafy plants growing up trellises and flowerpots on each of the steps.

From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2025

Perea also likes the idea of growing native Roger’s Red grapes on trellises in large containers to provide summer greenery, fall color when the leaves turn red and gold, and sculptural vines in the winter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2024

Carl and the boys were out culling raspberry canes, and she found them down among the southward trellises, Carl cutting free the older stock, the boys filling the wheelbarrow.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

Related Words

• arbor
• lattice