To Twig Something Means to Understand It
A twig is a small branch. In British slang it also means to suddenly grasp something.
A twig is a slender branch, and in British informal use *to twig* means to suddenly understand. The two are unrelated. The branch is Old English *twigge*, from a root meaning two, because a twig is where a branch divides — the same root as *twin*, *twice*, *between* and *twine*. The verb is probably from Irish *tuig*, to understand, arriving in eighteenth-century slang. *Twig* the branch therefore records a fork in the wood, and *twig* the verb records an Irish word for comprehension.
- A small branch. *A bare twig.*
- To understand. *He finally twigged.*
- Twin — a relative. *A twin.*
- Twine — twisted from two. *Twine.*
- Old English — *twigge*. *The branch.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | twig | A twig. |
| Plural | twigs | Twigs. |
| Verb | twig | Twigging. |
| Related | twine | Twine. |
| Irish | tuig | To understand. |
- A twig snapped underfoot.Branch.
- She twigged immediately.British.
- Twig comes from two.Etymology.
The two family
- Twig — where a branch divides in two
- Twin — one of two born together
- Twine — thread twisted from two strands
- Between — in the space of two
- Twilight — probably half light, from the same root
Old English *twigge*, from a root meaning two. The verb is probably from Irish *tuig*, to understand.
Why does twig mean to understand?
That verb is probably from Irish tuig, to understand, and entered English slang in the 1700s.
Is twig related to twin?
Yes. Both come from a root meaning two, since a twig is where a branch divides.