What does trellis mean?
Word: Trellis
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Trellis means a light framework of crossed strips of wood or metal, fixed to a wall or post, for climbing plants.
Word origin: Comes from Old French, from a Latin word for cloth woven with three threads.
How do you spell trellis?
Syllables: trel - lis
Tricky part: The l doubles in the middle. Students who hear only one l write trelis.
Watch out for: trelis, treliss
Memory tip: Picture two tall poles holding up the frame: they are the two l's standing side by side.
Trellis in a sentence
Example 1: Dadaji tied the bitter gourd vines to a bamboo trellis on the terrace.
Example 2: Pink bougainvillea covered the trellis over our school gate.
Example 3: The money plant has climbed halfway up the trellis beside the window.
Fun Fact
Many grape growers around Nashik in Maharashtra train their vines along wire trellises, which keep the bunches off the ground and let sunlight reach them.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Probe
Choose the meaning of the misspelt word in the given sentence:
Every morning before school, Grandpa waters the jasmine that climbs up the wooden trellice on our balcony and picks a few flowers for the table.
a) a lattice that climbing stems can cling to
b) a sweet-smelling plant with white flowers
c) a small platform outside an upstairs room
d) the early part of the day
Show answer
a) a lattice that climbing stems can cling to. Trellis is the misspelt word: it ends in -is, and it names the frame the jasmine climbs.
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order:
e, i
a) tr_ll_s
b) v_ll_y
c) b_ll_t
d) c_ll_r
Show answer
a) tr_ll_s. Trellis takes e and then i; cellar takes e and a, valley a and e, ballet a and e.
Word Tally
Score 1 mark for each correctly spelt word. How many marks in all?
trellis, compost, sapling, perenial, mulch, wheelbarow
a) 5
b) 2
c) 4
d) 3
Show answer
c) 4. Perennial needs a double n and wheelbarrow a double r, so four words score.
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) thesis : thesies
b) axis : axes
c) crisis : crises
d) trellis : trellises
Show answer
a) thesis : thesies. A thesis becomes theses in the plural, so thesies is wrong.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A gardener puts up a trellis. Which plant is it most likely for?
a) a cactus in a pot
b) a full-grown mango tree
c) a patch of lawn grass
d) a climbing rose bush
Show answer
d) a climbing rose bush
2. Where would a trellis most likely be found?
a) beside a study desk
b) against a garden wall
c) on a kitchen shelf
d) inside a cupboard
Show answer
b) against a garden wall
