willow

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) Any of various deciduous trees or shrubs in the genus Salix, in the willow family Salicaceae, found primarily on moist soils in cooler zones in the northern hemisphere.
2. (countable, uncountable) The wood of these trees.
3. (colloquial, countable, uncountable) A cricket bat.
4. (countable, slang, uncountable) The baseball bat.
5. (countable, uncountable) A rotating spiked drum used to open and clean cotton heads.

Verb

1. (transitive) To open and cleanse (cotton, flax, wool, etc.) by means of a willow.
2. (intransitive) To form a shape or move in a way similar to the long, slender branches of a willow.

Synonyms

sallow

osier

willow tree

poplar

aspen

Salix

wicker

black willow

withe

Salicaceae

dried willows

red willow

swamp willow

willey

weeping willow

Translations

saule

Weide

salice

sauce

Salix sp.

wilg

ιτιά

salgueiro

Salix

صفصاف

söğüt

salze

salix

salcio

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈwɪl.əʊ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: wilwe

Cognate with Ancient Greek: ἑλίκη

Cognate with Hittite: 𒌑𒂖𒆪

In summary

From Middle English wilwe, welew, variant of wilghe, from Old English welig, from Proto-West Germanic *wilig, from Proto-Germanic *wiligaz, from Proto-Indo-European *welik- (compare (Arcadian) Ancient Greek ἑλίκη (helíkē), Hittite 𒌑𒂖𒆪 (welku, “grass”)), from *wel- (“twist, turn”).