willow

CEFRB1

/ˈwɪl.əʊ/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A tree with long thin branches, often growing near water.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A cricket bat.

Examples

  • In our Mediterranean forest, there are lots of trees: oak, pine, willow, ash, elm, etc..

  • The baskets are woven from strips of willow.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
1

Also pronounced

  • /ˈwɪloʊ/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The wood of these trees.

  2. 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.

  3. A rotating spiked drum used to open and clean cotton heads.

More examples

In context

  • Willow branches don't break under the weight of snow.

  • […] and through the middle of this forest, from wall to wall, ran a winding line of brilliant green which marked the course of cottonwoods and willows.

  • And willows, willow-herb, and grass, / And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry, / No whit less still and lonely fair / Than the high cloudlets in the sky.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The weeping blank tree is known for its long, graceful, drooping branches.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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”).