tendril
noun
- specialisation of plant parts used to climb or bind
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈtɛn.dɹəl/
adj
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)).
- Having 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.”
noun
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)).
- 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; […]”
- A hair-like tentacle.
- Anything shaped like a tendril or coil.
“Her blond hair was tied into a half up, half down style with face-framing tendrils.”