- (n.) 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.
- (n.) 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.
- (v.t.) To open and cleanse, as cotton, flax or wool, by means of a willow. See Willow, n., 2.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). willow. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/willow/definitions/2082045 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "willow" http://smartdefine.org/willow/definitions/2082045 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, willow, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/willow/definitions/2082045>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "willow" 28 May 2011. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/willow/definitions/2082045> |