tendril means having the shape or properties of a tendril; thin and coiling; entwining. It carries an Arena rating of 1585, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, tendril ranks #192 of 17,115 for Most Vivid Words, #566 of 17,130 for Most Ingenious Words, #607 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #832 of 17,113 for Most Elegant Words.
tendril is pronounced /ˈtɛn.dɹəl/.
Why “tendril” is a great word
A slender, coiling, threadlike structure by which a climbing plant attaches itself for support, or anything resembling such a form. From Middle French tendrillon ('bud, shoot, cartilage'), a diminutive of tendron ('cartilage'), from Old French tendre ('soft'), from Latin tener, tenera, tenerum ('tender, soft, delicate'); first attested in English in the 16th century. Unlike a branch, which bears weight with woody certainty, or a root, which grips the dark earth for sustenance, a tendril is a creature of the air, a devoted seeker of purchase. It is the pale green cursive of a pea vine inscribing itself on a trellis; the gentle, persistent curl of a sleeping child's hair; the faint blue filament of a vein beneath thin skin at a temple. In its patient, blind groping, it maps a geometry of pure desire.
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)).
adj
- Having the shape or properties of a tendril; thin and coiling; entwining.e.g.“Kissing the tendril fingers - at first because Mina, its mother, did not - but later with a rapture begot by its breath on her breast.”
noun
- A thin, spirally coiling stem that attaches a plant to its support.
- A hair-like tentacle.
- Anything shaped like a tendril or coil.e.g.“Her blond hair was tied into a half up, half down style with face-framing tendrils.”
Words closest in meaning
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