tendril

Meanings

Noun

• A thin, spirally coiling stem that attaches a plant to its support.
• A hair-like tentacle.

Adjective

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

Origin

• From Middle French tendrillon, perhaps a diminutive of tendron, from Old French tendre (see tender (adj.)), or else from Latin tendere (see tender (v.)).