A willow or a willow tree is a type of tree with long branches and long narrow leaves that grows near water.
Willow is the wood of this tree.
...willow furniture.
willow in British English
(ˈwɪləʊ)
noun
1.
any of numerous salicaceous trees and shrubs of the genus Salix, such as the weeping willow and osiers of N temperate regions, which have graceful flexible branches, flowers in catkins, and feathery seeds
2.
the whitish wood of certain of these trees
3.
something made of willow wood, such as a cricket or baseball bat
4.
a machine having a system of revolving spikes for opening and cleaning raw textile fibres
Derived forms
willowish (ˈwillowish) or willow-like (ˈwillow-ˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English welig; related to wilige wicker basket, Old Saxon wilgia, Middle High German wilge, Greek helikē willow, helix twisted
Willow in British English
noun
a small town in S Alaska, about 113 km (70 miles) northwest of Anchorage: chosen as the site of the projected new state capital in 1976, a plan which never came to fruition. Pop: 1658 (2000)
willow in American English
(ˈwɪloʊ)
noun
1.
a.
any of a genus (Salix) of trees and shrubs of the willow family, having usually narrow leaves, single, slipper-shaped bud scales, and staminate and pistillate catkins borne on separate plants: the flexible twigs of certain species are used in weaving baskets, chair seats, etc.
b.
the wood of any of these trees
2.
a machine with revolving spikes for cleaning raw wool, cotton, etc.
3. Informal
a baseball bat or cricket bat
adjective
4.
designating a family (Salicaceae, order Salicales) of dicotyledonous trees and shrubs including poplars
verb transitive
5.
to clean (wool, cotton, etc.) with a willow
Derived forms
willower (ˈwillower)
noun
Word origin
ME wilwe < OE welig, akin to Du wilg < IE base *wel-, to turn, twist, bend > Gr helix, spiral, helikē, willow; (sense 3) orig. made of willow
Golden light plays on the looping branches of a willow tree down by the riverside.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
One side-effect of the gradual increase in the amount of wood in the new bats is that each willow tree produces fewer bats.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The two tall willows, the crack willow and the white willow, are beginning to change colour.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Time to discover the benefits of willow bark.
The Sun (2013)
The name means willow wood and many areas are still very wet.
Perring, Franklyn A Guide to Britain's Conservation Heritage (1991)
When is the best time of year to prune a contorted willow tree?
The Sun (2016)
The crack willow catkins are a paler yellow and more silky.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The weeping willow tree can often be spotted drooping into lakes and rivers.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Crack willows get their name from the ease with which the twigs can be snapped off.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Crack willows are tall trees of the river bank.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Crack willows beside rivers are a streaky yellow.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Crack willow gets its name from the easy way in which the twigs snap off.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We had sought relief on a shady spot on the embankment and were sitting under a willow tree.
Bruce Feiler WALKING THE BIBLE (2001)
The weeping willow is a tree so satisfying in itself that it can be left to tell its story unaccompanied.
Page, Russell The Education of a Gardener (1994)
What are the small, raised lumps on the leaves of my willow tree?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
WHAT is causing yellow spots on my willow tree?
The Sun (2013)
I saw the willow tree about six weeks ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
A willow tree outside my house is to be chopped down.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
He weighed some soil, put it in a pot and waited five years for a willow tree to grow.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The nests are usually found in willow trees at the side of lakes and rivers, and are a very curious shape.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
WHAT is causing yellow spots on my Kilmarnock willow tree?
The Sun (2015)
Word lists with
willow
tree, wood
In other languages
willow
British English: willow /ˈwɪləʊ/ NOUN
A willow is a tree with long narrow leaves and branches that hang down.
American English: willow
Arabic: صَفْصَاف
Brazilian Portuguese: salgueiro
Chinese: 柳树
Croatian: vrba
Czech: vrba
Danish: piletræ
Dutch: wilg
European Spanish: sauce
Finnish: paju
French: saule
German: Weide Baum
Greek: ιτιά
Italian: salice
Japanese: ヤナギ
Korean: 버드나무
Norwegian: piletre
Polish: wierzba
European Portuguese: salgueiro
Romanian: salcie
Russian: ива
Latin American Spanish: sauce
Swedish: pil träd
Thai: ต้นวิลโลว์ปลูกใกล้น้ำ
Turkish: söğüt
Ukrainian: верба
Vietnamese: cây liễu
All related terms of 'willow'
grey willow
a species of willow, Salix cinerea , with greenish-grey catkins
willow fly
a stonefly , Leuctra geniculata, of the English chalk streams, esteemed by trout and therefore by anglers
willow herb
any of a genus ( Epilobium ) of perennial plants of the evening-primrose family, with narrow leaves, whitish or purple flowers, and slender pods filled with plumed seeds, as the fireweed
willow oak
a North American oak ( Quercus phellos ) with long, smooth-edged leaves, found near swamps and streams
willow tit
a small tit , Parus montanus, of marshy woods in Europe, having a greyish-brown body and dull black crown
willow wand
a slender stick or rod made of willow used esp in magic or divination
almond willow
a deciduous shrub or small tree, Salix triandra, a species of willow native to Europe and W and Central Asia that has flowers which produce catkins and leaves similar in shape to those of the almond tree
arctic willow
a low-growing shrub , Salix arctica, of the tundra
crack willow
a species of commonly grown willow , Salix fragilis, with branches that snap easily
pussy willow
a willow tree that produces silvery silky catkins , esp Salix caprea or S. cinerea in Britain or S. discolor in North America
white willow
a willow tree, Salix alba , of Europe and Asia having leaves with pale undersides
willow grouse
a N European grouse , Lagopus lagopus, with a reddish-brown plumage and white wings : now regarded as the same species as the red grouse ( L . lagopus scoticus ) of Britain
Willow South
a city in S Alaska , about 113 km (70 miles) northwest of Anchorage : chosen as the site of the projected new state capital in 1976
diamond willow
wood that may come from any species of willow and has a diamond pattern in the grain , used for making walking sticks , table lamps , etc
weeping willow
A weeping willow is a type of willow tree. It has long thin branches that hang down to the ground .
willow pattern
a pattern incorporating a willow tree, river, bridge , and figures, typically in blue on a white ground, used on pottery and porcelain
willow warbler
an Old World warbler , Phylloscopus trochilis, of Eurasian woodlands
Port Jackson willow
an Australian acacia tree, Acacia cyanophylla , introduced in the 19th century into South Africa, where it is now regarded as a pest