willow

== English == === Etymology === 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”). === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /ˈwɪl.əʊ/ Rhymes: -ɪləʊ (US) IPA(key): /ˈwɪloʊ/ Rhymes: -ɪloʊ === Noun === willow (countable and uncountable, plural willows) 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. The wood of these trees. (cricket, colloquial) A cricket bat. (baseball, slang, 1800s) The baseball bat. A rotating spiked drum used to open and clean cotton heads. ==== Synonyms ==== withy ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === willow (third-person singular simple present willows, present participle willowing, simple past and past participle willowed) (transitive) To open and cleanse (cotton, flax, wool, etc.) by means of a willow. (intransitive) To form a shape or move in a way similar to the long, slender branches of a willow. == Middle English == === Noun === willow alternative form of wylow