What does "tendril" mean?

Tendril: 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. Note: 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.

Additional senses

  1. 2.Clasping; climbing as a tendril. [R.] Dyer.

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