twig
UK: twɪɡ | US: twɪɡ
n. a small, slender branch of a tree or shrub
vt. (British, informal) to understand or realize something
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The word "twig" originates from Old English twigge, meaning "small branch." It is a compact Germanic word with no clear separable morphemes in modern English. Its secondary meaning ("to understand") emerged in British slang, likely from the idea of "grasping" a concept as one might grasp a twig. The word has retained its core form for over a millennium, reflecting its stability in the language.
She snapped a twig from the oak tree to use as a makeshift pointer.
It took me a while to twig what he was hinting at.
Birds often build nests using thin twigs and leaves.
He finally twigged that the joke was about him.
The forest floor was littered with dry twigs that crackled underfoot.