twig

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈtwig 

1

: a small shoot or branch usually without its leaves

2

: a minute branch of a nerve or artery

twigged

ˈtwigd 

adjective

twiggy

ˈtwi-gē 

adjective

twig

2 of 3

verb

twigged; twigging

transitive verb

1

: notice, observe

2

: to understand the meaning of : comprehend

intransitive verb

: to gain a grasp : understand

twigged instinctively about things

—H. E. Bates

twig

3 of 3

noun (2)

British

: fashion, style

Synonyms

Verb

• appreciate
• apprehend
• assimilate
• behold
• catch
• catch on (to)
• cognize
• compass
• comprehend
• conceive
• cotton (to or on to)
• decipher
• decode
• dig
• discern
• get
• grasp
• grok
• intuit
• know
• make
• make out
• perceive
• recognize
• register
• savvy
• see
• seize
• sense
• tumble (to)
• understand

Examples of twig in a Sentence

Verb

He seemed confused until he twigged that something was going on.

I had to explain it to him three times but he finally twigged.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Preparation included drying, separation of needles from twigs and ashing of needles only at 475°C for 24 hours (VEG-ASH01). —Sacramento Bee, 19 June 2024

Listen to this article A recent Calvin Klein campaign featuring a partially dressed FKA twigs is being locked up by the U.K. fashion police. —Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 10 Jan. 2024

Verb

Altman, meanwhile, twigged that Microsoft might be the deep-pocketed backer OpenAI needed to achieve its goals. —Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 20 May 2024

In hindsight, the impression is of an unwitting team effort, each inventor chipping away at the riddle of cinema without quite twigging its significance. —Nat Segnit, Harper's Magazine, 4 Mar. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English twigge, from Old English; akin to Old High German zwīg twig, Old English twā two

Verb

perhaps from Irish & Scottish Gaelic tuig- understand

Noun (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1764, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

circa 1811, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing twig

• lime-twig

Kids Definition

twig

noun

ˈtwig

: a small shoot or branch usually without its leaves

twiggy

ˈtwig-ē

adjective

Medical Definition

twig

noun

ˈtwig 

: a minute branch of a nerve or artery

twigs of sensory nerves in the skin

—Lynda Charters