willow
- noun
- /ˈwɪloʊ/
- Specialized
Examples
-
Black Hand sat to one side, carefully tamping willow bark into his steatite stone pipe before using a twig to light it.
Fiction book (1992) -
One hundred and forty-one years ago, in Constantinople, a Turk fashioned white sail-wings with many pleats and foldings, and stiffened them with willow wands.
Fiction book (2001) -
The textile factory uses a large willow to prepare fibers for spinning into yarn.
-
The workers carefully fed raw cotton into the willow to clean it before processing.
-
At the textile mill, the willow plays a crucial role in opening and clearing raw materials for production.
Synonyms
A person or tool that separates wool fibers before spinning
Idioms
- Literature
A person who moves or behaves in a smooth, flexible way like a dancer
Compounds
- UK
A type of willow with reddish stems and flexible branches used for making baskets
- Specialized
A low shrub that forms a mat on the ground with small green leaves in cold mountain and Arctic areas
- US
A North American tree with dark bark and narrow leaves that grows near streams and lakes
- South African
A small tree from South Africa with yellow flowers that grows near streams
A small shrub with long low branches and soft green leaves that spreads across ground and is used in gardens
A small tree that grows in dry places and has long narrow leaves and purple flowers
- Specialized
A very small willow plant that grows low on cold mountains and in Arctic places
- Specialized
A small willow bush in the eastern United States with long narrow leaves that are gray and hairy underneath
- Specialized
A willow tree that grows in the western United States with leaves shaped like almonds
A tree with long drooping branches and thin leaves often planted near ponds for shade
- UK
A willow tree with many branches, broad leaves, and soft silvery flower clusters that grows in Europe and Asia
A group of trees and shrubs like willows and poplars that often have hairy flower clusters
- Specialized
A kind of willow tree that often grows upright rather than with hanging branches
Surface Forms
Etymology
Willow is also the name of a machine used to clean raw fibres, and a helpful way to remember this is to think of the machine 'shaking' or 'beating' out dust and seeds—the name may come from willow branches used for beating or from the idea of 'willowing' as a shaking action, so the word links to the act of cleaning fibres.