twine
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a strong, thin string made by twisting several threads together.
n.a strong cord or string composed of two or more strands twisted together, typically used for binding or netting.
Simple“He used a piece of garden twine to tie the tomato plants to the wooden stakes.”
In context“The parcel was securely bound with heavy-duty twine, knotted tightly to ensure it would withstand the rigours of international shipping.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
v.to wrap or wind around something else.
v.to wind or coil around an object or support; often used to describe the growth pattern of climbing plants.
Simple“Ivy began to twine around the old stone pillars of the porch.”
In context“The vines continued to twine upward, eventually obscuring the trellis entirely with a dense curtain of green leaves.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
v.to twist two or more things together to make one.
v.to interweave or twist strands together to form a single cord or complex structure.
Simple“She twined the colourful ribbons together to make a decorative border.”
In context“The artisan carefully twined the silver wires to create an intricate filigree pattern for the necklace.”
From Middle English twyn, twyne, twin, from Old English twīn (“double thread, twist, twine, linen-thread, linen”), from Proto-West Germanic twiʀn (“thread, twine”), from Proto-Indo-European dwisnós (“double”), from *dwóh₁ (“two”).
From Middle English twinen, twynen, from Old English twīnian (“to twine, thread”), from Proto-Germanic twiznōną (“to thread”), from Proto-Indo-European dwisnós (“double”), from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ (“two”). Cognate with Dutch twijnen (“to twine, contort, throw”), Danish tvinde (“to twist”), Swedish tvinna (“to twist, twine, throw”), Icelandic tvinna (“to merge, twine”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.