A flexible green twig or willow branch used for binding or weaving, particularly in traditional crafts.
Compound of 'green' and 'withe' (Old English 'withig'), a flexible twig or woven branch. The 'green' indicates the fresh, flexible state before drying.
In pre-industrial societies, greenwithe was more valuable than you'd think—flexible green branches were the original 'rope,' used to bundle everything from thatch to firewood, and entire industries depended on them!
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