Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Flexible twigs, branches, plant stems, or pieces of synthetic material, used for making baskets or furniture.
  • noun Wickerwork.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To cover or tit with wickers or osiers; inclose in wickerwork.
  • noun A small pliant twig; an osier; a withe.
  • noun Wickerwork in general; hence, an object made of this material, as a basket.
  • noun A twig or branch used as a mark: same as wike.
  • Consisting of wicker; especially, made of plaited twigs or osiers; also, covered with wickerwork: as, a wicker basket; a wicker chair.
  • Made of flexible strips of shaved wood, ratan, or the like: as, wicker furniture; a wicker chair.
  • To twist, from being too tightly drawn. Child's Ballads, Gloss.
  • To twist (a thread) overmuch.
  • See whicker.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A small pliant twig or osier; a rod for making basketwork and the like; a withe.
  • noun Wickerwork; a piece of wickerwork, esp. a basket.
  • noun Prov. Eng. Same as 1st Wike.
  • adjective Made of, or covered with, twigs or osiers, or wickerwork.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A flexible branch or twig of a plant such as willow, used in weaving baskets and furniture
  • noun Wickerwork.
  • adjective Made of wickerwork.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun slender flexible branches or twigs (especially of willow or some canes); used for wickerwork
  • noun work made of interlaced slender branches (especially willow branches)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English wiker, of Scandinavian origin; see weik- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English wiker, cognate with Swedish vikker ("willow"), Old Norse veikr ("weak"), English weak

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Examples

  • Made of black synthetic resin wicker, this outdoor sofa set is built to last.

    Pierantonio Bonacina’s Wiry Modular Garden Furniture 2009

  • Synthetic wicker is a recent design trend, gaining popularity quickly due to its durability and resistance to extreme temperatures and sun exposure.

    Pierantonio Bonacina’s Wiry Modular Garden Furniture 2009

  • (These are also countries where you will genuinely still see people carrying their shopping around the local city markets in wicker baskets, some even with gingham linings.)

    Life without the plastic bag…? | Diane Duane's weblog: "Out of Ambit" 2008

  • As Mrs. Bhaer spoke every one bustled about, and in five minutes the three little girls and Teddy were packed into the "clothes-basket," as they called the wicker wagon which Toby drew.

    Little Men Louisa May Alcott 1860

  • As Mrs. Bhaer spoke every one bustled about, and in five minutes the three little girls and Teddy were packed into the "clothes-basket," as they called the wicker wagon which Toby drew.

    Little Men: Life at Plumfield With Jo's Boys 1871

  • I was staying in an 'open room', one of three such rooms at the top of a normal hotel (still within my budget for accommodation) made from a material that I would call wicker, not sure if there is a more specific name for it though.

    TravelPod.com Recent Updates 2009

  • You could label the wicker/cloth basket on the school side.

    The Pioneer Woman - Full RSS Feed 2009

  • And in the garden there's a little nest: a kind of wicker orb built into the wall to float above the astroturf, filled with cosy sofas.

    Big Brother 2010: inside the Big Brother 11 house 2010

  • This piece is loose woven using 6mm thick natural or artificial wicker which is painted in a colour to suit you.

    New lighting from Yellow Goat Designs 2008

  • He had a kind of wicker hat on his head, and under it was a face that would have shamed a gorilla -- huge flat nose, pocked cheeks, little yellow eyes and big yellow teeth.

    Flash For Freedom Fraser, George MacDonald, 1925- 1971

Comments

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  • I believe this is the definitive source on things wicker.

    December 3, 2007

  • To neigh or whinny (Hampshire). Also a method of castrating a ram by enclosing his testicle within a slit stick (Gloucestershire). - old provincial usages of the term in England. Cf. whicker.

    May 2, 2011