Weeping willow

Weeping willow
Willow Wil"low, n. [OE. wilowe, wilwe, AS. wilig, welig; akin to OD. wilge, D. wilg, LG. wilge. Cf. {Willy}.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Bot.) Any tree or shrub of the genus {Salix}, including many species, most of which are characterized often used as an emblem of sorrow, desolation, or desertion. ``A wreath of willow to show my forsaken plight.'' --Sir W. Scott. Hence, a lover forsaken by, or having lost, the person beloved, is said to wear the willow. [1913 Webster]

And I must wear the willow garland For him that's dead or false to me. --Campbell. [1913 Webster]

2. (Textile Manuf.) A machine in which cotton or wool is opened and cleansed by the action of long spikes projecting from a drum which revolves within a box studded with similar spikes; -- probably so called from having been originally a cylindrical cage made of willow rods, though some derive the term from winnow, as denoting the winnowing, or cleansing, action of the machine. Called also {willy}, {twilly}, {twilly devil}, and {devil}. [1913 Webster]

{Almond willow}, {Pussy willow}, {Weeping willow}. (Bot.) See under {Almond}, {Pussy}, and {Weeping}.

{Willow biter} (Zo["o]l.) the blue tit. [Prov. Eng.]

{Willow fly} (Zo["o]l.), a greenish European stone fly ({Chloroperla viridis}); -- called also {yellow Sally}.

{Willow gall} (Zo["o]l.), a conical, scaly gall produced on willows by the larva of a small dipterous fly ({Cecidomyia strobiloides}).

{Willow grouse} (Zo["o]l.), the white ptarmigan. See {ptarmigan}.

{Willow lark} (Zo["o]l.), the sedge warbler. [Prov. Eng.]

{Willow ptarmigan} (Zo["o]l.) (a) The European reed bunting, or black-headed bunting. See under {Reed}. (b) A sparrow ({Passer salicicolus}) native of Asia, Africa, and Southern Europe.

{Willow tea}, the prepared leaves of a species of willow largely grown in the neighborhood of Shanghai, extensively used by the poorer classes of Chinese as a substitute for tea. --McElrath.

{Willow thrush} (Zo["o]l.), a variety of the veery, or Wilson's thrush. See {Veery}.

{Willow warbler} (Zo["o]l.), a very small European warbler ({Phylloscopus trochilus}); -- called also {bee bird}, {haybird}, {golden wren}, {pettychaps}, {sweet William}, {Tom Thumb}, and {willow wren}. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Weeping willow — Weep ing wil low (Bot.) a tree ({Salix babylonica}) of the willow family with slender leaves, native to China, whose branches grow very long and slender, and hang down almost perpendicularly. It grows best where soil is moist, as by the banks of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • weeping willow — weeping willows N COUNT A weeping willow is a type of willow tree. It has long thin branches that hang down to the ground …   English dictionary

  • weeping willow — n. a Chinese willow tree (Salix babylonica) widely grown as an ornamental for its delicate, drooping branches …   English World dictionary

  • weeping willow — noun count a tree with thin leaves and long branches that bend downward …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • weeping willow — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms weeping willow : singular weeping willow plural weeping willows a tree with thin leaves and long branches that bend downwards …   English dictionary

  • weeping willow — svyruoklinis gluosnis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Gluosninių šeimos dekoratyvinis, medieninis, vaistinis augalas (Salix babylonica), paplitęs rytų Azijoje (Kinijoje). atitikmenys: lot. Salix babylonica angl. Babylon weeping willow;… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • weeping willow — noun willow with long drooping branches and slender leaves native to China; widely cultivated as an ornamental • Syn: ↑Babylonian weeping willow, ↑Salix babylonica • Hypernyms: ↑willow, ↑willow tree • Member Holonyms: ↑Salix …   Useful english dictionary

  • weeping willow — liaunašakis gluosnis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Gluosninių šeimos dekoratyvinis kultūrinis augalas (Salix ×sepulcralis). atitikmenys: lot. Salix ×sepulcralis angl. Kemp willow; weeping willow šaltinis Valstybinės lietuvių kalbos… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • weeping willow — Cockney Rhyming Slang Pillow ere. Get yer head off my weeping willow …   English dialects glossary

  • weeping willow — /wipɪŋ ˈwɪloʊ/ (say weeping wiloh) noun a commonly cultivated willow, Salix babylonica, with long pendulous branches …  

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