twig

[ twig ]

/ twɪg /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR twig 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.

Words nearby twig

twice-told, twicer, twickenham, twiddle, twiddle one's thumbs, twig, twig blight, twig borer, twig girdler, twiggy, twilight

Origin of twig

before 950; Middle English; Old English twig, twigge, orig. (something) divided in two; akin to Old High German zwīg (German Zweig), Dutch twijg; compare Sanskrit dvikás double

OTHER WORDS FROM twig

twig·less, adjectivetwig·like, adjective

Definition for twig (2 of 3)

twig²

[ twig ]

/ twɪg /

British

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

1755–65; < Irish tuigim I understand, with English w reflecting the offglide before i of the velarized Irish t typical of southern Ireland; cf. dig²

Definition for twig (3 of 3)

twig³

[ twig ]

/ twɪg /

noun British.

style; fashion.

Origin of twig

First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for twig

Suddenly, we hear the sound of a twig cracking; all three men look around anxiously, particularly JASON.
Who Killed the Horror Film?|Tom Shone|March 13, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Their heads are in the walls of the House of Skulls, and the little child strikes them, as he goes by, with a twig.
The Infidel, Vol. II.|Robert Montgomery Bird
When a twig speaks under a deer in his passage through the woods, the sound is sharp, dainty, alert.
Wood Folk at School|William J. Long
"Not so much as a twig between here and eternity," he said to himself, with a shudder.
The Red Acorn|John McElroy

Thus marched he out, swaggering down the streets, and swinging his twig of almond-tree in his hand.
The Pacha of Many Tales|Frederick Marryat
Twig collared the fox as he bolted, and as the hounds were making a dash at him.
The Badger|Alfred E. Pease

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

twig

noun

Words related to twig

Words nearby twig

Origin of twig

OTHER WORDS FROM twig

Definition for twig (2 of 3)

verb (used with object), twigged, twig·ging.

verb (used without object), twigged, twig·ging.

Origin of twig

Definition for twig (3 of 3)

noun British.

Origin of twig

Examples from the Web for twig

British Dictionary definitions for twig (1 of 2)

noun

Derived forms of twig

Word Origin for twig

British Dictionary definitions for twig (2 of 2)

verb twigs, twigging or twigged British informal

Word Origin for twig