\Ten"dril\, n. [Shortened fr. OF. tendrillon, fr. F.
tendre tender; hence, properly, the tender branch or spring
of a plant: cf. F. tendrille. See {Tender}, a., and cf.
{Tendron}.] (Bot.)
A slender, leafless portion of a plant by which it becomes
attached to a supporting body, after which the tendril
usually contracts by coiling spirally.
Note: Tendrils may represent the end of a stem, as in the
      grapevine; an axillary branch, as in the passion
      flower; stipules, as in the genus Smilax; or the end of
      a leaf, as in the pea.

\Ten"dril\, a.
Clasping; climbing as a tendril. [R.] --Dyer.