WITHERS

withers

(noun) the highest part of the back at the base of the neck of various animals especially draft animals

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Proper noun

Withers

A surname.

Anagrams

• swither, whister, wishter, writhes

Etymology

Noun

withers pl (plural only)

The part of the back of a four-legged animal that is between the shoulder blades; in many species the highest point of the body and the standard place to measure the animal's height. [from 1580]

Usage notes

Even in the plural, this noun refers to one object. The synonymous singular, wither, is less common.

Hyponyms

• nape

Coordinate terms

• scruff

Verb

withers

Third-person singular simple present indicative form of wither

Anagrams

• swither, whister, wishter, writhes

Source: Wiktionary

With"ers, n. pl. Etym: [Properly, the parts which resist the pull or strain in drawing a load; fr. OE. wither resistance, AS. withre, fr. wither against; akin to G. widerrist withers. See With, prep.]

Definition: The ridge between the shoulder bones of a horse, at the base of the neck. See Illust. of Horse. Let the galled jade wince; our withers are unwrung. Shak.

WITHER

With"er, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Withered; p. pr. & vb. n. Withering.] Etym: [OE. wideren; probably the same word as wederen to weather (see Weather, v. & n.); or cf. G. verwittern to decay, to be weather- beaten, Lith. vysti to wither.]

1. To fade; to lose freshness; to become sapless; to become sapless; to dry or shrivel up. Shall he hot pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither Ezek. xvii. 9.

2. To lose or want animal moisture; to waste; to pin This is man, old, wrinkled, faded, withered. Shak. There was a man which had his hand withered. Matt. xii. 10. Now warm in love, now with'ring in the grave. Dryden.

3. To lose vigor or power; to languish; to pass away. "Names that must not wither." Byron. States thrive or wither as moons wax and wane. Cowper.

With"er, v. t.

1. To cause to fade, and become dry. The sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth. James i. 11.

2. To cause to shrink, wrinkle, or decay, for want of animal moisture. "Age can not wither her." Shak. Shot forth pernicious fire Among the accursed, that withered all their strength. Milton.

3. To cause to languish, perish, or pass away; to blight; as, a reputation withered by calumny. The passions and the cares that wither life. Bryant.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition