noun
willow
WIHL-oh
noun
1
A tree or shrub with long, slender, often drooping branches, usually found near water.
"A weeping willow trailed its branches into the river."
"They planted a row of willows along the stream bank."
2
In cricket, informal word for the bat, since willow wood is traditionally used to make them.
"He took the crease, willow in hand."
How to Use Willow
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA graceful, often drooping tree common by rivers; in cricket slang, also the word for the bat itself.
Common pairings
weeping willow
willow tree
crack of the willow
Word Forms
willowed past tense, willows plural, willows singular
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A weeping _____ trailed its branches into the river.
Etymology
From Old English welig, an ancient Germanic word for the tree, related to a root meaning "to twist or bend" — fitting, given how flexible willow branches are.