Dictionary.com
definitions

willow

[ wil-oh ]
/ ˈwɪl oʊ /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR willow ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any tree or shrub of the genus Salix, characterized by narrow, lance-shaped leaves and dense catkins bearing small flowers, many species having tough, pliable twigs or branches used for wickerwork, etc.Compare willow family.
the wood of any of these trees.
Informal. something, especially a cricket bat, made of willow wood.
Also called willower, willy. a machine consisting essentially of a cylinder armed with spikes revolving within a spiked casing, for opening and cleaning cotton or other fiber.

verb (used with object)

to treat (textile fibers) with a willow.

RELATED WORDS

olive, blue-green, fir, sap, jade, sage, moss, pine, forest, sea, grass, peacock, apple, spinach, verdigris, malachite, beryl, chartreuse, kelly, aquamarine

Nearby words

  1. williwaw,
  2. willkie,
  3. willkie, wendell lewis,
  4. willmar city,
  5. willoughby,
  6. willow family,
  7. willow fly,
  8. willow flycatcher,
  9. willow grouse,
  10. willow herb

Origin of willow

before 900; Middle English wilwe, variant of wilghe, Old English welig; cognate with Old Saxon wilgia, Dutch wilg, Low German wilge
Related formswil·low·like, adjectivewil·low·ish, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for willow

British Dictionary definitions for willow

willow

/ (ˈwɪləʊ) /

noun

any of numerous salicaceous trees and shrubs of the genus Salix, such as the weeping willow and osiers of N temperate regions, which have graceful flexible branches, flowers in catkins, and feathery seeds
the whitish wood of certain of these trees
something made of willow wood, such as a cricket or baseball bat
a machine having a system of revolving spikes for opening and cleaning raw textile fibres
Derived Formswillowish or willow-like, adjective

Word Origin for willow

Old English welig; related to wilige wicker basket, Old Saxon wilgia, Middle High German wilge, Greek helikē willow, helix twisted

Willow

noun

a small town in S Alaska, about 113 km (70 miles) northwest of Anchorage: chosen as the site of the projected new state capital in 1976, a plan which never came to fruition. Pop: 1658 (2000)
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 willow

willow

n.

Old English welig, from Proto-Germanic *walg- (cf. Old Saxon wilgia, Middle Dutch wilghe, Dutch wilg), probably from PIE *wel- "to turn, roll," with derivatives referring to curved, enclosing objects. The change in form to -ow (14c.) paralleled that of bellow and fellow. The more typical Germanic word for the tree is represented by withy.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper