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.

Nearby words

williston, williwaw, willkie, willmar city, willoughby, willow, willow family, willow fly, willow flycatcher, willow grouse, 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 forms

wil·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

My wife (Susie Hariet) was pregnant with our second child (they have two children, daughter Willow, 4, and son Aubrey, 2).
Dan Stevens Blows Up ‘Downton’: From Chubby-Cheeked Aristo to Lean, Mean American Psycho|Tim Teeman|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A few feet from where we sit is the sawed-off stump of a third willow.
The Stacks: The Judas Priest Teen Suicide Trial|Ivan Solotaroff|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Two feet from the sawed-off stump of a third willow is the small foot-pump carousel Ray was sitting on when he shot himself.
The Stacks: The Judas Priest Teen Suicide Trial|Ivan Solotaroff|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The former VP candidate looked rail thin as she ran errands with her daughter Willow in Studio City.
Sarah Palin Debuts Makeover in Los Angeles Looks Scary Thin and Dyed Hair|Isabel Wilkinson|October 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The Queen now owns just two Corgis: Willow and Holly and two Dorgis: Candy and Vulcan.
Queen's James Bond Clip Corgi Dies, Buried at Balmoral|Tom Sykes|September 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The young giant crossed the brook, passed the willow, found the mullein stalk, and counted the daffodils.
Tell Me Another Story|Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
But when he jumped, he caught his tail on the branch of the willow tree and left part of it up there.
Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children|Mabel Powers
In conclusion, I shall say that the willow oak is one of the most interesting of trees.
The Boy Patrol Around the Council Fire|Edward Sylvester Ellis
The willow tree (Welsh helygen), which grows essentially by the water-side, may be connoted with wallow.
Archaic England|Harold Bayley
Aleck looked at him an instant, saw his sulky, set lips, and then walked over to a willow bush near by.
The Ice Queen|Ernest Ingersoll

British Dictionary definitions for willow (1 of 2)

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 Forms

willowish 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

British Dictionary definitions for willow (2 of 2)

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