Wattles

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A fleshy of skin or folds hanging from the neck of certain birds or animals, often used in display or warming
2. The plaited or woven stems of plants used for various structures, such as fences
3. Referring to the distinctive, mobile features on the heads of some species, contributing to their visual identity

Etymology: The "wattles" you see on a turkey or a wattled bird are named for a far humbler object: the woven fence. Old English "watel" or "watul" meant a hurdle, a panel of interlaced branches and twigs used to build walls and enclosures. Middle English carried the word forward as "wattel" or "watel," and it kept that sense of woven, bendable material for centuries. The link to the bird is a matter of resemblance. The fleshy lobes that hang from a bird's head or throat are loosely flexible and dangle in a way that suggests a strip of wicker or lattice. Someone once saw the likeness and transferred the name, so a fence panel became a fleshy flap of skin. The wider family of the word traces back to a prehistoric root meaning "to turn, wind, or bend," which fits well with anything made from pliable twigs twisted together. The plural form "wattles" is simply the usual way of referring to more than one of these fleshy appendages.

Synonyms: wrinkles, folds