willow

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)Any of various deciduous trees or shrubs in the genus Salix, in the willow family Salicaceae, found primarily on moist soils in cooler zones in the northern hemisphere.

   “[…] and through the middle of this forest, from wall to wall, ran a winding line of brilliant green which marked the course of cottonwoods and willows.”

   “And willows, willow-herb, and grass, / And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry, / No whit less still and lonely fair / Than the high cloudlets in the sky.”

   “The pounded leaves of the willow, drunk in a concoction, were formerly reputed to diminish amatory desires.”

   “By old age she was emaciated, the bones jutting out of her face and her figure frail as a willow branch.”

   “Deep in the willow / Hidden from grace / Succumb to insecurity / Your final resting place / Crafting your perfect world, ignoring total truth / You'll die alone / There's only room for you”

2. (countable, uncountable)The wood of these trees.
3. (colloquial, countable, uncountable)A cricket bat.
4. (countable, slang, uncountable)The baseball bat.
5. (countable, uncountable)A rotating spiked drum used to open and clean cotton heads.

verb

1. (transitive)To open and cleanse (cotton, flax, wool, etc.) by means of a willow.
2. (intransitive)To form a shape or move in a way similar to the long, slender branches of a willow.

   “Willowing over the rough cobbles of the little pier stepped a thin, bent figure, adorned with a silver nanny-goat's beard and bobbling eyes interrupted by the rim of a pair of pince-nez.”

   “Joe’s impulse was to sketch her, with her shadow willowing beyond her on the mouse-gray paving-stone; but his left fist, obeying instinct, remained clenched behind his back […]”

   “It was floating a foot under the surface. The eyes were holes. The mouth was a slit cavern of darkness. The hair willowed around the scalp.”

   “The draft-drawn smoke willowed down through the hole and across my face, but I didn’t worry about coughing or sneezing.”

name

1. A female given name from English of modern usage.

   “Before he died her father had run a nursery just outside the town. He loved trees so much he'd even named his two daughters and one son after them: Willow, Ashley and Oak.”

2. A census-designated place in Alaska.
3. A town in Oklahoma.
4. A town in Wisconsin.