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

Within it, the braided hair, the ritual of a coffee ceremony, the cross-generational laughter beneath fragrant tendrils of incense —these are the indicators that keep the culture grounded, and what Wolle wanted to reflect in the images. —Essence, 16 Sep. 2024

The swoops of cucumber tendrils and the zags of carnation leaves are examples of inherent, ubiquitous plant movements called circumnutations – from the Latin circum, meaning circle, and nutare, meaning to nod. —Chantal Nguyen, The Conversation, 13 Sep. 2024

Chena Hot Springs Resort, Alaska Nearest town: Fairbanks Prices from: $20 for camping / $200 for rooms a night Want to kick back in a remote hot spring while the green tendrils of the Northern Lights dance above your head? —Emily Pennington, Outside Online, 6 Oct. 2024

The apartment and every structural tendril coming from it, seen and unseen, extends and retracts to make abstract environments appear in the nightmarish landscape rich with an unusual pairing of horror type and lore. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2024

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