Tendril
adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A thin, spirally coiling stem that attaches a plant to its support.
"The Gourd, / And thirſty Cucumer, vvhen they perceive / Th' approaching Olive, vvith Reſentment fly / Her fatty Fibres, and vvith Tendrils creep / Diverſe, deteſting Contact; […]"
- 2 slender stem-like structure by which some twining plants attach themselves to an object for support wordnet
- 3 A hair-like tentacle.
- 4 Anything shaped like a tendril or coil. broadly
"Her blond hair was tied into a half up, half down style with face-framing tendrils."
- 1 Having the shape or properties of a tendril; thin and coiling; entwining. not-comparable
"Kissing the tendril fingers - at first because Mina, its mother, did not - but later with a rapture begot by its breath on her breast."
Example
More examples"The Gourd, / And thirſty Cucumer, vvhen they perceive / Th' approaching Olive, vvith Reſentment fly / Her fatty Fibres, and vvith Tendrils creep / Diverſe, deteſting Contact; […]"
Etymology
From Middle French tendrillon (“bud, shoot, cartilage”), perhaps a diminutive of tendron (“cartilage”), from Old French tendre (“soft”) (see tender (adjective)), or else from Latin tendere (“to stretch, extend”) (see tender (verb)).
Related phrases
More for "tendril"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.