Etymology

withers

with·ers
W4I1T1H4E1R1S1

Today it means: 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. Full definition →

First used 1580
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withers · noun1

From dialectal English wither (“against”) (compare wither-) + -s; see with. So-named because it is the part of the horse that pushes against a load. Compare German Widerrist (“withers”), from wider (“against”) + Rist (“wrist”).

withers · verb2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 1580 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.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.