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twig

1
[ twig ]
/ twɪg /
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See synonyms for: twig / twigged / twigging / twigs on Thesaurus.com

noun
a slender shoot of a tree or other plant.
a small offshoot from a branch or stem.
a small, dry, woody piece fallen from a branch: a fire of twigs.
Anatomy. one of the minute branches of a blood vessel or nerve.
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Origin of twig

1
First recorded before 950; Middle English twig, twig(g)e; Old English twig, twigge, twī originally “(something) divided in two”; akin to Old High German zwīg (German Zweig ), Dutch twijg; compare Sanskrit dvikás “double”; see origin at twi-

OTHER WORDS FROM twig

twigless, adjectivetwiglike, adjective

Other definitions for twig (2 of 3)

twig2
[ twig ]
/ twɪg /
British Informal.

verb (used with object), twigged, twig·ging.
to look at; observe: Now, twig the man climbing there, will you?
to see; perceive: Do you twig the difference in colors?
to understand.
verb (used without object), twigged, twig·ging.
to understand.

Origin of twig

2
First recorded in 1760–70; of uncertain origin; perhaps from Irish tuigim “I understand”

Other definitions for twig (3 of 3)

twig3
[ twig ]
/ twɪg /

noun British Archaic.
style; fashion.

Origin of twig

3
First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use twig in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for twig (1 of 2)

twig1
/ (twɪɡ) /

noun
any small branch or shoot of a tree or other woody plant
something resembling this, esp a minute branch of a blood vessel

Derived forms of twig

twiglike, adjective

Word Origin for twig

Old English twigge; related to Old Norse dvika consisting of two, Old High German zwīg twig, Old Danish tvige fork

British Dictionary definitions for twig (2 of 2)

twig2
/ (twɪɡ) /

verb twigs, twigging or twigged British informal
to understand (something)
to find out or suddenly comprehend (something)he hasn't twigged yet
(tr) rare to perceive (something)

Word Origin for twig

C18: perhaps from Gaelic tuig I understand
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
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