tendril

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noun ten·dril \ˈten-drəl\

Definition of tendril

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

tendrilled

play \-drəld\ adjective

tendrilous

play \-drə-ləs\ adjective

See tendril defined for English-language learners

See tendril defined for kids

Examples of tendril in a Sentence

A few tendrils of hair framed her face.

Recent Examples of tendril from the Web

White gowns, constructed of tendrils or fibers, provoked myriad interpretations — evoking simultaneously the lines of a sound wave, the rippling sea or the gills of a fish.

— thomas adamson, Detroit Free Press, "Art mixes with the aquatic for Paris Couture Week", 3 July 2017
Pig ears are slivered and fried into crisp-chewy tendrils that are woven with watercress and pickled onion and piled on creamy pecan butter.

— providence cicero, The Seattle Times, "At JuneBaby, star chef Edouardo Jordan returns to his Southern roots", 22 June 2017
Duane Linklater, another indigenous Canadian artist in this show, has produced a new mural whose motifs — googly eyes, antlerlike tendrils — riff on the decorations of the Indians of Canada pavilion.

— jason farago, New York Times, "Expo 2017: Utopia, Rebooted", 22 June 2017
Under these conditions, water vapor freezes onto any dust particles floating in the region, forming ice crystals that congregate into tendrils and filaments.

— National Geographic, "Eerie Clouds Glow at Night—How to See Them", 22 June 2017
Its name comes from its tendrils with three claw-like hooks.

— dan gill, NOLA.com, "How to control vines, shrubs and spreading plants: Dan Gill's mailbag", 12 June 2017
A tinge of menace emanates from the best ones, their spiky protuberances, wiggly tendrils and starburst-style blossoms evoking sci-fi weaponry and ear-splitting explosions.

— david pagel, latimes.com, "Take a walk through the imaginary garden of Anna Zemánková", 9 June 2017
Colleges provide a distinctive sense of place, of course, and while Washington may not be the quintessential college town, the groves of academe still extend their tendrils here and there.

— john kelly, Washington Post, "An idea: Tear down the ugly Hoover Building, but let the FBI come back to D.C.", 7 June 2017
The tendril beside the stem that connects the watermelon to the vine will shrivel up.

— dan gill, NOLA.com, "How to know when a watermelon is ripe? Dan Gill's mailbag", 3 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tendril'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of tendril

Origin and Etymology of tendril

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

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First Known Use: 1538

See Words from the same year

Other Botany Terms

annual, burgeon, chloroplast, nomenclature, succulent, sylvan, xylem

TENDRIL Defined for English Language Learners

tendril

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noun

Definition of tendril for English Language Learners

: the thin stem of a climbing plant that attaches to walls, fences, etc.
: something that is thin and curly

TENDRIL Defined for Kids

tendril

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noun ten·dril \ˈten-drəl\

Definition of tendril for Students

1 : a slender leafless winding stem by which some climbing plants attach themselves to a support
2 : something that winds like a plant's tendril tendrils of hair