Meanings
plural tendrils
- biologyA 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; […]
1708, [John Philips], “Book I”, in Cyder. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 17Synonyms: cirrus
- not comparableHaving the shape or properties of a tendril; thin and coiling; entwining.
Kissing the tendril fingers - at first because Mina, its mother, did not - but later with a rapture begot by its breath on her breast.
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
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA thin, spirally coiling stem that attaches a plant to its support.
Origin
- Latintendere“to stretch, extend”
- Old Frenchtendre“soft”
- Middle Frenchtendrillon“bud, shoot, cartilage”
- Englishtendril
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)).
More words from Middle French, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek βόστρυχος, ὄστλιγξ
- βόστρυχος (bóstrukhos)thin, spirally coiling stem
- ὄστλιγξ (óstlinx)thin, spirally coiling stem
Arabic مِحْلَاق
- مِحْلَاق (miḥlāq)thin, spirally coiling stem
Bulgarian филиз, ластар
- филиз (filiz)thin, spirally coiling stem
- ластар (lastar)thin, spirally coiling stem
Catalan circell, cirrus
- circellthin, spirally coiling stem
- cirrusthin, spirally coiling stem
Chinese Mandarin 卷鬚 /卷须
- 卷鬚 /卷须 (juǎnxū)thin, spirally coiling stem
Czech úponek
- úponekthin, spirally coiling stem
Dutch rank
- rankthin, spirally coiling stem
Esperanto ĉiro
- ĉirothin, spirally coiling stem
Estonian köitraag, väänel
- köitraagthin, spirally coiling stem
- väänelthin, spirally coiling stem
Finnish kärhi, korkkiruuvi
- kärhithin, spirally coiling stem
- korkkiruuvihair-like tentacle
French vrille, cirre
- vrillethin, spirally coiling stem
- cirrehair-like tentacle
German Ranke
- Rankethin, spirally coiling stem
Hungarian inda
- indathin, spirally coiling stem
Irish teannóg
- teannógthin, spirally coiling stem
Italian cirro, cirro
- cirrothin, spirally coiling stem
- cirrohair-like tentacle
Korean 덩굴손, 덩굴줄기
- 덩굴손 (deonggulson)thin, spirally coiling stem
- 덩굴줄기 (deongguljulgi)thin, spirally coiling stem
Latin pampinus
- pampinusthin, spirally coiling stem
Māori hihi, ihi
- hihithin, spirally coiling stem
- ihithin, spirally coiling stem
- kawekawethin, spirally coiling stem
- tōihithin, spirally coiling stem
Polish wąs, kosmyk
- wąsthin, spirally coiling stem
- kosmykhair-like tentacle
Portuguese gavinha
- gavinhathin, spirally coiling stem
Romanian cârcel
- cârcelthin, spirally coiling stem
Russian у́сик
- у́сик (úsik)thin, spirally coiling stem
Scottish Gaelic ògan
- òganthin, spirally coiling stem
Spanish cirro, manecilla
- cirrothin, spirally coiling stem
- manecillathin, spirally coiling stem
- zarcillothin, spirally coiling stem
Swedish klänge, ranka
- klängethin, spirally coiling stem
- rankathin, spirally coiling stem
Turkish asma bıyığı, bıyık
- asma bıyığıthin, spirally coiling stem
- bıyıkthin, spirally coiling stem
Welsh tendril
- tendrilthin, spirally coiling stem
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
tendril. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tendril
“tendril.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tendril. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tendril,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tendril.
Source: tendril on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.