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Added 9 October 2026

willow

/ˈwɪl.əʊ/ noun

In Latin: salix Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about willow at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Any of numerous deciduous trees and shrubs of the genus Salix.
A textile machine having a system of revolving spikes for opening and cleaning raw textile fibers.

Origin

From Middle English wilwe, welew, variant of wilghe, from Old English weliġ, 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”). Cognate to West Frisian wylch and more distantly (via Proto-West Germanic *wilgijā) to Dutch wilg and German Wilge.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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