twine

[twahyn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR twine ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

verb (used with object), twined, twin·ing.

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.

verb (used without object), twined, twin·ing.

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.

Origin of twine

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-

Related formstwine·a·ble, adjectivetwin·er, noun

Can be confusedtwain twin twine

twine

[twahyn]

verb (used with or without object), twined, twin·ing. Scot.

to separate; part.

Also twin.

Origin of twine

1175–1225; late Middle English twinen, variant of earlier twinnen, derivative of twin twin¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for twine

yarn, braid, string, thread, twist, snarl, knot, whorl, coil, tangle, convolution, cordage, enmesh, bend, wrap, curl, interweave, undulate, spiral, interlace

Examples from the Web for twine

Contemporary Examples of twine

Attaching food with skewers, toothpicks, fishing line, and twine.
Epic Meal Empire’s Meat Monstrosities: From the Bacon Spider to the Cinnabattleship
Harley Morenstein
July 26, 2014
Twine dispenser: This is sort of a medium-advanced chef gift.
The 2012 Holiday Kitchen Gift Guide
Megan McArdle
December 13, 2012
She had a small cardboard sign of her own hanging by some twine from her neck.
A Tale of Two Trees
Michael Daly
November 5, 2011

Historical Examples of twine

Round your knees, my father, I twine this body, which my mother bare you.
The Coryston Family
Mrs. Humphry Ward
His fingers were in that hairy throat, where they had itched to twine.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, November, 1930
Various
Roll the veal round it, and sew it or tie it securely with twine.
The Skilful Cook
Mary Harrison
Some vie to set slips and twine them, which sometimes, but seldome thriue all.
A New Orchard And Garden
William Lawson
Mrs. Vercoe included cheese and bacon, rope and twine, and baskets.
The Carroll Girls
Mabel Quiller-Couch

British Dictionary definitions for twine

twine

noun

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

verb

(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

Derived Formstwiner, noun

Word Origin for twine

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for twine

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.