twine1
[twahyn]
- a strong thread or string composed of two or more strands twisted together.
- an act of twining, twisting, or interweaving.
- a coiled or twisted object or part; convolution.
- a twist or turn in anything.
- a knot or tangle.
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- to twist together; interwind; interweave.
- to form by or as by twisting together: to twine a wreath.
- to twist (one strand, thread, or the like) with another; interlace.
- to insert with a twisting or winding motion (usually followed by in or into): He twined his fingers in his hair.
- to clasp or enfold (something) around something else; place by or as if by winding (usually followed by about, around, etc.): She twined her arms about the sculpture and carried it away.
- to cause (a person, object, etc.) to be encircled with something else; wreathe; wrap: They twined the arch with flowers.
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- to wind about something; twist itself in spirals (usually followed by about, around, etc.): Strangling vines twined about the tree.
- to wind in a sinuous or meandering course.
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Origin of twine1
before 900; Middle English twine (noun), twinen (v.), Old English twīn (noun) literally, a double or twisted thread; cognate with Dutch twijn; akin to German Zwirn, Old Norse tvinni thread, twine; see twi-
twine2
[twahyn]
- to separate; part.
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Also twin.
Origin of twine2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
yarn, braid, string, thread, twist, snarl, knot, whorl, coil, tangle, convolution, cordage, enmesh, bend, wrap, curl, interweave, undulate, spiral, interlaceExamples from the Web for twine
Contemporary Examples
Attaching food with skewers, toothpicks, fishing line, and twine.
Epic Meal Empire’s Meat Monstrosities: From the Bacon Spider to the CinnabattleshipHarley Morenstein
July 26, 2014
Twine dispenser: This is sort of a medium-advanced chef gift.
She had a small cardboard sign of her own hanging by some twine from her neck.
Historical Examples
Round your knees, my father, I twine this body, which my mother bare you.
The Coryston FamilyMrs. Humphry Ward
His fingers were in that hairy throat, where they had itched to twine.
Roll the veal round it, and sew it or tie it securely with twine.
The Skilful CookMary Harrison
Some vie to set slips and twine them, which sometimes, but seldome thriue all.
A New Orchard And GardenWilliam Lawson
Mrs. Vercoe included cheese and bacon, rope and twine, and baskets.
The Carroll GirlsMabel Quiller-Couch
twine
- string made by twisting together fibres of hemp, cotton, etc
- the act or an instance of twining
- something produced or characterized by twining
- a twist, coil, or convolution
- a knot, tangle, or snarl
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- (tr) to twist together; interweaveshe twined the wicker to make a basket
- (tr) to form by or as if by twiningto twine a garland
- (when intr, often foll by around) to wind or cause to wind, esp in spiralsthe creeper twines around the tree
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Word Origin
Old English twīn; related to Old Frisian twīne, Dutch twijn twine, Lithuanian dvynu twins; see twin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for twine
n.
Old English twin "double thread," from Proto-Germanic *twizna- (cf. Dutch twijn, Low German twern, German zwirn "twine, thread"), from the same root as twin (q.v.). The verb meaning "to twist strands together to form twine" is recorded from late 13c.; sense of "to twist around something" (as twine does) is recorded from c.1300. Related: Twined; twining.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper