Word Study
twig
CIDE DICTIONARY
twig, v. t. [Cf. Tweak.].
To twitch; to pull; to tweak. [1913 Webster]
twig, v. t. [Gael. tuig, or Ir. tuigim I understand.].
- To understand the meaning of; to comprehend; as, do you twig me? Marryat. [1913 Webster]
- To observe slyly; also, to perceive; to discover. Foote. [1913 Webster]"As if he were looking right into your eyes and twigged something there which you had half a mind to conceal." [1913 Webster]
twig, n. [AS. twig; akin to D. twijg, OHG. zw, zw, G. zweig, and probably to E. two.].
A small shoot or branch of a tree or other plant, of no definite length or size. [1913 Webster]
"The Britons had boats made of willow twigs, covered on the outside with hides." [1913 Webster]
twig, v. t.
To beat with twigs. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
twig, n.
1 a small branch or shoot of a tree or shrub.
2 Anat. a small branch of an artery etc.
1 a small branch or shoot of a tree or shrub.
2 Anat. a small branch of an artery etc.
Derivative
twigged adj. (also in comb.). twiggy adj.
twig, v.tr. (twigged, twigging) colloq.
1 (also absol.) understand; grasp the meaning or nature of.
2 perceive, observe.
1 (also absol.) understand; grasp the meaning or nature of.
2 perceive, observe.
Etymology
18th c.: orig. unkn.
THESAURUS
twig
accept, appendage, arm, bine, bough, branch, branchedness, branchiness, burgeon, catch, catch on, comprehend, craze, cry, deadwood, descry, dig, discern, distinguish, divine, espy, fad, fathom, flagellum, fork, frond, furore, get, grasp, hand, imp, joint, know, leg, limb, link, lobe, lobule, mark, member, mode, note, notice, observe, offshoot, organ, perceive, pinion, rage, ramage, ramification, rumble, runner, sapling, sarment, scion, see, seedling, sense, set, shoot, slip, spear, spray, sprig, sprit, sprout, spur, stem, stick, stolon, style, sucker, switch, tail, take, take in, tendril, thallus, tumble to, understand, vogue, wingROGET THESAURUS
twig
Part
N part, portion, dose, item, particular, aught, any, division, ward, subdivision, section, chapter, clause, count, paragraph, verse, article, passage, sector, segment, fraction, fragment, cantle, frustum, detachment, parcel, piece, lump, bit cut, cutting, chip, chunk, collop, slice, scale, lamina, small part, morsel, particle, installment, dividend, share, debris, odds and ends, oddments, detritus, excerpta, member, limb, lobe, lobule, arm, wing, scion, branch, bough, joint, link, offshoot, ramification, twig, bush, spray, sprig, runner, leaf, leaflet, stump, component part, sarmentum, compartment, department, county, fractional, fragmentary, sectional, aliquot, divided, in compartments, multifid, disconnected, partial, partly, in part, partially, piecemeal, part by part, by by installments, by snatches, by inches, by driblets, bit by bit, inch by inch, foot by foot, drop by drop, in detail, in lots.For further exploring for "twig" in Webster Dictionary Online