Ten"dril (?), n. [Shortened fr. OF.
tendrillon, fr. F. tendre tender; hence, properly, the tender
branch or spring of a plant: cf. F. tendrille. See Tender,
a., and cf. Tendron.] (Bot.) A
slender, leafless portion of a plant by which it becomes attached to a
supporting body, after which the tendril usually contracts by coiling
spirally.
&fist; Tendrils may represent the end of a stem, as in the grapevine; an
axillary branch, as in the passion flower; stipules, as in the genus
Smilax; or the end of a leaf, as in the pea.
Ten"dril (?), a. Clasping; climbing as a
tendril. [R.] Dyer.
Ten"dril (?), n. [Shortened fr. OF.
tendrillon, fr. F. tendre tender; hence, properly, the tender
branch or spring of a plant: cf. F. tendrille. See Tender,
a., and cf. Tendron.] (Bot.) A
slender, leafless portion of a plant by which it becomes attached to a
supporting body, after which the tendril usually contracts by coiling
spirally.
&fist; Tendrils may represent the end of a stem, as in the grapevine; an
axillary branch, as in the passion flower; stipules, as in the genus
Smilax; or the end of a leaf, as in the pea.
Ten"dril (?), a. Clasping; climbing as a
tendril. [R.] Dyer.
