Vines

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /vaɪnz/

Definitions

1. A climbing or trailing plant, typically characterized by long, flexible stems and often attaching to structures for support
2. A genre of plant growth that includes both flowering and non-flowering species, common in gardens and wild areas
3. Any elongated plant, usually with a woody or herbaceous texture, that grows rapidly and may produce fruit or flowers along its length

Etymology: "Vines" is simply the plural of "vine," so its story is the story of the singular. The surprise is that "vine" and "wine" are close relatives. Both descend from the same ancient root, and the vine was named for the drink it produced. Latin "vinum" meant wine, and "vinea" meant a vineyard, the place where those grapevines grew. From there the Latin word passed into Vulgar Latin as "vīnia" and then into Anglo-Norman as "vigne," which reached English as "vyne" in Middle English. The deeper root is older still. Proto-Indo-European "*wóyh₁nom" meant both "vine" and "wine," and it likely grew from a verb meaning "to twist" or "wrap," a nod to the tendrils and winding stems of climbing plants. English therefore preserved a doublet pair: "vine" came through French, while "wine" came more directly from Latin, leaving two separate English words that trace back to one ancient word for the same plant and its fruit.

Synonyms: climbers, creepers, plants