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twig¹

(twĭg)

1. A young shoot representing the current season's growth of a woody plant.

2. Any small, leafless branch of a woody plant.

[Middle English, from Old English twigge; see dwo- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

twig²

(twĭg)

v. twigged, twig·ging, twigs
Chiefly British

v.tr.

1. To observe or notice.

2. To understand or figure out: "The layman has twigged what the strategist twigged almost two decades ago" (Manchester Guardian Weekly).

v.intr.

To be or become aware of the situation; understand: "As Europe is now twigging, the best breeding ground for innovators who know how to do business is often big, competitive companies" (Economist).

[Perhaps from Irish Gaelic tuig-, stem of tuigim, I understand, from Old Irish tuicim.]

twig³

(twĭg)

n.
Archaic

The current style; the fashion.

[Origin unknown.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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