tendril

English

Etymology

From Middle French tendrillon (“bud, shoot, cartilage”), perhaps a diminutive of tendron (“cartilage”), from Old French tendre (“soft”) (see tender (adj.)), or else from Latin tendere (“to stretch, extend”) (see tender (v.)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɛn.dɹəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

tendril (plural tendrils)

1. (botany) A thin, spirally coiling stem that attaches a plant to its support.
   • 1708, [John Philips], “Book I”, in Cyder. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 17:

     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. (zoology) A hair-like tentacle.

Derived terms

• tendril perversion

Translations

thin, spirally coiling stem

• Bulgarian: филиз (bg) m (filiz), ластар (bg) m (lastar)
• Catalan: circell m
• Czech: úponek (cs) m
• Dutch: rank (nl) f
• Esperanto: ĉiro (eo)
• Finnish: kärhi (fi)
• French: vrille (fr) f
• Galician: gabián (gl) m
• Georgian: ულვაშა (ulvaša)
• German: Ranke (de) f
• Greek:

  Ancient: ὄστλιγξ f (óstlinx)

• Hungarian: inda (hu)
• Ilocano: kuriwawet
• Irish: teannóg f
• Italian: cirro (it) m
• Korean: 덩굴손 (deonggulson), 덩굴줄기 (deongguljulgi)
• Latin: pampinus m or f
• Macedonian: витица f (vitica)
• Maori: tōihi, kawekawe, hihi, ihi
• Plautdietsch: Rank f
• Polish: wąs (pl) m
• Portuguese: gavinha (pt) f
• Romanian: cârcel (ro) m
• Russian: у́сик (ru) m (úsik)
• Scottish Gaelic: ògan m
• Slovene: vitica f
• Spanish: zarcillo (es) m, cirro (es) m, manecilla (es) f
• Swedish: klänge (sv), ranka (sv)
• Tocharian B: śkwarya
• Welsh: tendril m

hair-like tentacle

• Finnish: korkkiruuvi (fi)
• French: cirre (fr) m
• Italian: cirro (it) m
• Polish: kosmyk (pl) m

Adjective

tendril (not comparable)

1. Having the shape or properties of a tendril; thin and coiling; entwining.
   • 1907, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, published 1980, page 275:

     Kissing the tendril fingers - at first because Mina, its mother, did not - but later with a rapture begot by its breath on her breast.

Anagrams

• trindle