TENDRIL

tendril

(noun) slender stem-like structure by which some twining plants attach themselves to an object for support

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

tendril (plural tendrils)

(botany) A thin, spirally coiling stem that attaches a plant to its support.

(zoology) A hair-like tentacle.

Adjective

tendril (not comparable)

Having the shape or properties of a tendril; thin and coiling; entwining.

Anagrams

• trindle

Source: Wiktionary

Ten"dril, n. Etym: [Shortened fr. OF. tendrillon, fr. F. tendre tender; hence, properly, the tender branch or spring of a plant: cf. F. tendrille. See Tender, a., and cf. Tendron.] (Bot.)

Definition: A slender, leafless portion of a plant by which it becomes attached to a supporting body, after which the tendril usually contracts by coiling spirally.

Note: Tendrils may represent the end of a stem, as in the grapevine; an axillary branch, as in the passion flower; stipules, as in the genus Smilax; or the end of a leaf, as in the pea.

Ten"dril, a.

Definition: Clasping; climbing as a tendril. [R.] Dyer.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition