thread
糸 centers on a thin, flexible strand used for binding or weaving: thread. It is the core idea behind many thread-related kanji.
糸 is a pictograph of twisted silk threads. The modern form retains the image of a skein or twisted strand.
The top 幺 looks like a twisted loop, and the bottom 小 resembles dangling thread ends. Together they form a single thread.
For シ, imagine a single thread being pulled from a silk cocoon: the hissing sound 'shhh' as it unwinds cues シ.
thread; yarn; string
canary (esp. the island canary, Serinus canaria)
beginning; start; first step
knitting wool; woolen yarn; woollen yarn
spinning; silk reeling; filature
fine line
fungal filament; hypha; hyphae
removal of stitches; removal of sutures
gold thread
raw silk thread
sponge gourd (Luffa aegyptiaca); Egyptian cucumber; Vietnamese luffa; dishcloth gourd
fishing line
stringlike; thready; linear; filamentous; filiform
silk thread; silk yarn
thread; strand; string
weft; woof (crosswise threads on a loom)
spool (of thread); reel; bobbin
spinning wheel
white thread
(weaving) warp