Meaning

noun any of numerous deciduous trees and shrubs of the genus Salix

noun a textile machine having a system of revolving spikes for opening and cleaning raw textile fibers

originFrom Middle English wilwe, welew, variant of wilghe, from Old English welig, from Proto-West Germanic *wilig, from Proto-Germanic *wiligaz, from Proto-Indo-European *welik- (compare (Arcadian) Ancient Greek ἑλίκη (helíkē), Hittite 𒌑𒂖𒆪 (welku, “grass”)), from *wel- (“twist, turn”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0