twine

¹

[ twahyn ]

noun

1. a strong thread or string composed of two or more strands twisted together.
2. an act of twining, twisting, or interweaving.
3. a coiled or twisted object or part; convolution.
4. a twist or turn in anything.
5. a knot or tangle.

verb (used with object)

, twined, twin·ing.

1. to twist together; interwind; interweave.
2. to form by or as by twisting together:

   to twine a wreath.

3. to twist (one strand, thread, or the like) with another; interlace.
4. to insert with a twisting or winding motion (usually followed by in or into ):

   He twined his fingers in his hair.

5. to clasp or enfold (something) around something else; place by or as if by winding (usually followed by about, around, etc.):

   She twined her arms about the sculpture and carried it away.

6. to cause (a person, object, etc.) to be encircled with something else; wreathe; wrap:

   They twined the arch with flowers.

verb (used without object)

, twined, twin·ing.

1. to wind about something; twist itself in spirals (usually followed by about, around, etc.):

   Strangling vines twined about the tree.

2. to wind in a sinuous or meandering course.

twine

²

[ twahyn ]

verb (used with or without object)

, Scot.

, twined, twin·ing.

1. to separate; part.

twine

/ twaɪn /

noun

1. string made by twisting together fibres of hemp, cotton, etc
2. the act or an instance of twining
3. something produced or characterized by twining
4. a twist, coil, or convolution
5. a knot, tangle, or snarl

verb

1. tr to twist together; interweave

   she twined the wicker to make a basket

2. tr to form by or as if by twining

   to twine a garland

3. whenintr, often foll by around to wind or cause to wind, esp in spirals

   the creeper twines around the tree

Derived Forms

• ˈtwiner, noun

Other Words From

• twinea·ble adjective
• twiner noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of twine¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun twin(e), twinne, , Old English twīn literally, “a double or twisted thread”; cognate with Dutch twijn, Old Norse tvinni “thread, twine”; akin to German Zwirn; twi-

Origin of twine²

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English twinen, variant of earlier twinnen, derivative of twin twin ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of twine¹

Old English twīn ; related to Old Frisian twīne , Dutch twijn twine, Lithuanian dvynu twins; see twin

Example Sentences

The empties then accumulated waiting to be recycled, held together with twine.

From ProPublica

To date, twine’s events customers have included names like Microsoft, Amazon, Forrester and others, and the service is on track to do $1 million in bookings in 2021, the company says.

From TechCrunch

Coburn says twine has found a sweet spot with big corporate event programs.

From TechCrunch

Malina Busch’s gold-heavy abstraction on paper is bound in red twine so that it bends into three-dimensionality.

From Washington Post

It’s a title that twines usefully with the John Grisham novel, if only to suggest that the British monarchy is both organized and a crime — at least to the hopes, sensibilities and perhaps even the survivability of its occupants.

From Washington Post

Attaching food with skewers, toothpicks, fishing line, and twine.

From The Daily Beast

It might be on a closet shelf or perhaps in the attic, wrapped tightly in thick twine.

From The Daily Beast

Twine dispenser:  This is sort of a medium-advanced chef gift.

From The Daily Beast

She had a small cardboard sign of her own hanging by some twine from her neck.

From The Daily Beast

Henry Burns passed him the box, and with nervous fingers the banker broke the twine with which the boys had secured it.

From Project Gutenberg

And I was fully dressed and it seemed as if all the tender parts of my body were tied up with twine.

From Project Gutenberg

When the twine that holds your two-piece Rod together has been thoroughly wet, then when dry, and before using it again, wax well.

From Project Gutenberg

The lad "broke" each of the four pistols, picked up a piece of twine and strung them together through each trigger-guard.

From Project Gutenberg

Landing nets round or square, are made of strong silk or best water twine cord.

From Project Gutenberg