Twig

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /twɪɡ/

Definitions

1. A small, thin woody stem or branch that grows from a larger branch of a tree or shrub
2. A narrow, woody outgrowth from a larger branch or trunk of a plant that is often used in crafts or as kindling for fires
3. A slender, lightweight branch that detaches from a larger woody plant, often utilized in various outdoor activities or as material for artistic projects

Etymology: The word "twig" is a fine example of a plain, ancient inheritance. Its ancestor, Proto-Indo-European "*dwigʰom", meant "branch," and that same root, traced back to the number two, shows up across the Germanic and Slavic families. German "Zweig," Dutch "twijg," and Old Church Slavonic "dvigŭ" all keep the sense of a branch, so the word has been carrying the same basic idea for thousands of years. In Old English, "twiġ" and "twiġa" were the main words for a branch or shoot, and "twigg" was a diminutive form, a smaller version of that root, which is how the word came to name the slenderest offshoots of a tree. The word passed into Middle English as "twig" and "twigge," and the form has barely changed since. One curious possibility is a link to the Gaelic "tuig," meaning "to understand," though this connection is uncertain and is not generally accepted.

Synonyms: branch, stick