willow
Americannoun
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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.
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the wood of any of these trees.
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Informal. something, especially a cricket bat, made of willow wood.
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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)
noun
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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
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the whitish wood of certain of these trees
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something made of willow wood, such as a cricket or baseball bat
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a machine having a system of revolving spikes for opening and cleaning raw textile fibres
noun
Other Word Forms
- willowish adjective
- willowlike adjective
Etymology
Origin of willow
First recorded before 900; Middle English wilwe, variant of wilghe, Old English welig; cognate with Old Saxon wilgia, Dutch wilg, Low German wilge
Explanation
A willow is a tree with long, flexible branches and very small leaves. If you're looking for a picnic spot, the wide, green canopy of a willow provides great shade on a hot summer day. Most willow trees grow near water or in damp locations, as their roots soak up great quantities of moisture and can be used to protect the banks of rivers and streams from erosion. Willow branches are also commonly woven together to make baskets. A "weeping willow" has distinctive, graceful branches that curve down toward the ground.
Vocabulary lists containing willow
Vocabulary from Readings 3, Unit 1
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Vocabulary from Readings 3, Unit 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By late afternoon, the final miles carry me east toward the Colorado River, where it meanders past willow and cottonwood.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
In other words, the statistical method made the connection appear powerful by design, even if willow growth had not meaningfully changed.
From Science Daily • Feb. 12, 2026
Changes are to be made to the Laws of Cricket to permit bats previously deemed illegal in an effort to make the game affordable for amateur players amid the rising cost of English willow.
From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026
She cited aspirin drawing on formulations using willow tree bark, contraceptive pills developed from yam plant roots and child cancer treatments based on Madagascar's rosy periwinkle flower.
From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025
The magistrate’s threats died in the air as a slender willow branch snapped around his arm, tightening as another snatched the other arm.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.