tendril

noun

ten·​dril ˈten-drəl 

1

: a leaf, stipule, or stem modified into a slender spirally coiling sensitive organ serving to attach a climbing plant to its support

2

: something suggestive of a tendril

creeping tendrils of fog

tendriled adjective

or tendrilled

ˈten-drəld 

tendrilous

ˈten-drə-ləs 

adjective

Illustration of tendril

• tendril 1

Examples of tendril in a Sentence

A few tendrils of hair framed her face.

Recent Examples on the Web

My fingers pushed through the dirt, bare and desperate, searching for the roots, any tiny tendrils spelling life. —Literary Hub, 10 July 2025

The tendrils of Cordyceps that have snaked their way into the pipes underneath Jackson would like a word. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 20 Apr. 2025

Her updo's straight tendrils stayed tucked on the inside of her Alaia sunglasses. —Marci Robin, Allure, 13 May 2025

The first hit is almost always the tail — one crunch of its compactor-like jaws and the tail is either severed or hangs by a tendril. —Pat Smith, Outdoor Life, 24 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably modification of Middle French tendron bud, cartilage, alteration of Old French tenrum, from Vulgar Latin *tenerumen, from Latin tener tender — more at tender entry 1

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

tendril

noun

ten·​dril ˈten-drəl 

1

: a slender leafless winding stem by which some climbing plants fasten themselves to a support

2

: something that curls like a tendril

tendrils of hair