tenacle

English

Etymology

From Latin tenaculum, from tenere (“to hold”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɛnəkəl/

Noun

tenacle (plural tenacles)

1. (rare) A stalk or shoot by which a plant holds itself up, or by which climbing plants attach themselves to surfaces.
   • 1658, Sir Thomas Browne, The Garden of Cyrus, Folio Society, published 2007, page 198:

     And Ivy divided from the root, we have observed to live some years, by the cirrous parts commonly conceived but as tenacles and holdfasts unto it.

Anagrams

• eltenac, latence