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