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twig

1
[ twig ]
/ twɪg /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR twig

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

OTHER WORDS FROM twig

twigless, adjectivetwiglike, adjective

Words nearby twig

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

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

2
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

3
First recorded in 1805–15; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to twig

limb, sprig, shoot, scion, spray, switch, branch, offshoot

Example sentences from the Web for twig

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