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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. Any of several willows having long rodlike twigs used in basketry, especially the Eurasian Salix viminalis and S. purpurea.
  2. n. A twig of one of these trees.
  3. n. Any of various similar or related trees.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. One of various species of willow (Salix) whose tough flexible branches are employed for wickerwork, withes, etc. The white or common basket-osier of Europe (adventive in America) is Salix viminalis, also called velvet osier. Other important kinds are the (Norfolk) brown osier, S. triandra; varieties of the rose or purple willow, S. purpurea, sometimes called red or green osier; and the golden osier (S. alba, var. vitellina), with bright-yellow branches. The American black willow, S. nigra, is also available as an osier-tree, and many other willows are more or less so used. The growing of osiers and their use in manufactures is in Europe a considerable industry.
  2. Made or consisting of willow or other shoots or twigs.
  3. n. Either the round-leaved dogwood, Cornus circinata, or the alternate-leaved dogwood, C. alternifolia, the twigs of which are green.
  4. n. Leucothoe racemosa, an ornamental shrub of the eastern United States with racemes of waxy white flowers borne on the under side of recurved racemes.

Wiktionary

  1. n. A kind of willow, Salix viminalis, growing in wet places in Europe and Asia, and introduced into North America. It is considered the best of the willows for basket work. The name is sometimes given to any kind of willow.
  2. n. One of the long, pliable twigs of this plant, or of other similar plants.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. A kind of willow (Salix viminalis) growing in wet places in Europe and Asia, and introduced into North America. It is considered the best of the willows for basket work. The name is sometimes given to any kind of willow.
  2. n. One of the long, pliable twigs of this plant, or of other similar plants.
  3. adj. Made of osiers; composed of, or containing, osiers.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. flexible twig of a willow tree
  2. n. any of various willows having pliable twigs used in basketry and furniture

Etymologies

  1. From French osier ("basket willow, withy"), from Old French osiere (compare Medieval Latin auseria ("willow-bed")), from Frankish *halster (compare Low German Halster, Hilster ("bay willow")). (Wiktionary)
  2. Middle English, from Old English oser and Old French osier, both from Medieval Latin osera, osiera. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

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‘osier’ has been looked up 2522 times, loved by 2 people, added to 9 lists, and has a Scrabble score of 5.