Meanings
wither1
present singular third person withers · participle present withering · participle past withered · past withered
- transitiveTo cause to shrivel or dry up.
There was a man which had his hand withered.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 12:102 more examples
This is man, old, wrinkled, faded, withered.
c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene v]now warm in love, now with'ring in the grave
1700, [John] Dryden, “Palamon and Arcite: Or, The Knight’s Tale. In Three Books.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLCSynonyms: sear
- figurativelyintransitiveTo lose vigour or power; to languish; to waste away; to pass away.
names that must not wither
1812–1818, Lord Byron, “(please specify |canto=I to IV)”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. , London: John Murray,, (please specify the stanza number)1 more example
States thrive or wither as moons wax and wane.
1782, William Cowper, Expostulation
wither2
plural withers
- singularsingular of withers (“part of the back of a four-legged animal that is between the shoulder blades”)
Timozel had slid his feet quickly from the stirrups and swung his leg over the horse's wither as it slumped to the ground, standing himself in one graceful movement.
2007, Sara Douglass, Enchanter, Macmillan, →ISBN1 more example
If a saddle tips too far forward it may rest on the horse's wither and cause pain. There should always be a gap of roughly 5 cm between the horse's wither and the pommel when you are sitting on the saddle.
2008, Kate Luxmoore, Introduction to Equestrian Sports, →ISBN, page 140
wither3
comparative more wither · superlative most wither
- in compoundsobsoleteAgainst, in opposition to.
wither4
present singular third person withers · participle present withering · participle past withered · past withered
Wither5
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo shrivel, droop or dry up, especially from lack of water.
verbTo cause to shrivel or dry up.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
wither · verb
- Old Englishwederian“to expose to weather, exhibit a change of weather”
- Middle Englishwederen“to expose to weather”
- Middle Englishwidren
- Englishwither
From Middle English widren, wydderen (“to dry up, shrivel”), related to or perhaps an alteration of Middle English wederen (“to expose to weather”), from Old English wederian (“to expose to weather, exhibit a change of weather”). Cognates From Proto-Germanic: Dutch verwederen, Dutch verweren (“to erode by weather”), German verwittern, wittern (“to be ruined by weather; to erode”), Swedish vittra (“wither”). More at weather.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →wither · adverb
- Proto-West Germanic*wiþr“against, toward”
- Old Englishwiþer“again, against”
- Middle Englishwither
- Englishwither
From Middle English wither, from Old English wiþer (“again, against”, adverb in compounds), from Proto-West Germanic *wiþr (“against, toward”). Cognates From Proto-Germanic: Low German wedder (“against”), Dutch weer (“again, back”), German wider (“against, contrary to”), German wieder (“again”), Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌸𐍂𐌰 (wiþra), Old Norse viðr. More at with.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →wither · verb
- Old Englishwiþerian“to resist, oppose, struggle against”
- Middle Englishwitheren
- Englishwither
From Middle English witheren, from Old English wiþerian (“to resist, oppose, struggle against”). Cognates From Proto-Germanic: Middle Dutch wideren, Old High German widarōn.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μαραίνω, ἰσχναίνω
- μαραίνω (maraínō)(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- ἰσχναίνω (iskhnaínō)(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- μαραίνομαι (maraínomai)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Arabic صَعَقَ
- صَعَقَ (ṣaʕaqa)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Bulgarian изсушавам, лине́я
- изсушавам (izsušavam)(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- лине́я (linéja)to lose vigor or power
- отслабвам (otslabvam)to lose vigor or power
- изсъхвам (izsăhvam)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- увяхвам (uvjahvam)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Catalan pansir, marcir
- pansir(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- marcir(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- musteir(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- pansir-se(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- marcir-se(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- musteir-se(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- mustiar-se(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Chinese Mandarin 枯萎, 謝 /谢
- 枯萎 (kūwěi)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- 謝 /谢 (xiè)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Czech vyschnout, scvrknout se
- vyschnout(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- scvrknout se(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- zhroutit se(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- sesypat se(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- vadnout(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- uvadat(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- usychat(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- ochromit(transitive) to make helpless due to emotion
Danish visne
- visne(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Dutch verschrompelen, verdorren
- verschrompelen(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- verdorren(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Esperanto velki, forvelki
- velki(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- forvelki(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Finnish kuihduttaa, lakastuttaa
- kuihduttaa(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- lakastuttaa(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- kuihtuato lose vigor or power
- jäykistyä(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- jähmettyä(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- lakastua(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- kuihtua(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- jäykistää(transitive) to make helpless due to emotion
French flétrir, se faner
- flétrir(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- se faner(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- se dessécher(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
German schwächer werden, verkümmern
- schwächer werdento lose vigor or power
- verkümmernto lose vigor or power
- schwindento lose vigor or power
- vertrocknen(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- welken(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- verwelken(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- verdorren(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Greek μαραίνω, παθαίνω μαρασμό
- μαραίνω (maraíno)(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- παθαίνω μαρασμό (pathaíno marasmó)(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- μαραίνομαι (maraínomai)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Hungarian elszárít, kiszárít
- elszárít(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- kiszárít(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- elhervaszt(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- elgyengülto lose vigor or power
- elszárad(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- elhervad(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- elfonnyad(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- lekonyul(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- összezsugorodik(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Italian inaridire, avvizzire
- inaridire(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- avvizzire(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- inaridirsi(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- appassire(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- essiccare(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- inaridire(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- raggrinzire(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- avvizzire(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Japanese 枯れる
- 枯れる (kareru)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Korean 시들다
- 시들다 (sideulda)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Latin marceō, ārefaciō
- marceō(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- ārefaciō(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Lithuanian nuvysti
- nuvysti(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Māori whakamaroke, whakamatiti
- whakamaroke(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- whakamatiti(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- kurukito lose vigor or power
- taeroto lose vigor or power
- kautaka(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Persian پژمرده کردن, افسرده شدن
- پژمرده کردن (pažmorde kardan)(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- افسرده شدن (afsorde šodan)(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- پژمردن (pažmordan)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- افسرده کردن (afsorde kardan)(transitive) to make helpless due to emotion
Polish więdnąć
- więdnąć(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Portuguese murchar murchar-se, mirrar
- murchar murchar-se(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- mirrar(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- mirrar-se(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- decair(transitive) to make helpless due to emotion
Romanian veșteji, ofili
- veșteji(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- ofili(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- veșteji(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- ofili(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- veșteji(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- ofili(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- veșteji(transitive) to make helpless due to emotion
- ofili(transitive) to make helpless due to emotion
Russian вя́нуть, завя́нуть
- вя́нуть (vjánutʹ)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- завя́нуть (zavjánutʹ)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- увя́нуть (uvjánutʹ)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- увяда́ть (uvjadátʹ)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- со́хнуть (sóxnutʹ)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- засо́хнуть (zasóxnutʹ)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Spanish marchitar, ajar
- marchitar(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- ajar(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- ahajar(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- decaer(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- marchitarse(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- ajarse(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- decaer(transitive) to make helpless due to emotion
Swahili kukauka
- kukauka(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Swedish torka ut, tyna
- torka ut(transitive) to cause to shrivel or dry up
- tynato lose vigor or power
- tvinato lose vigor or power
- vissnato lose vigor or power
- vittrato lose vigor or power
- vittra(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- tvina(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- torka ut(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- förtorka(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- vissna(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- vittra(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- förtvina(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Tamil வாடு
- வாடு (vāṭu)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Thai เหี่ยว, เหี่ยวแห้ง
- เหี่ยว (hìao)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- เหี่ยวแห้ง(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- เหี่ยวเฉา(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Turkish solmak, solmak
- solmak(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- solmak(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- kurumak(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Ukrainian в'я́нути, зав'я́нути
- в'я́нути (vʺjánuty)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- зав'я́нути (zavʺjánuty)(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Vietnamese héo, úa
- héo(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- úa(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Welsh crebachu, nychu
- crebachu(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- nychu(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- dihoeni(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- gwaelu(intransitive) to become helpless due to emotion
- gwywo(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- crino(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- crebachu(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
- ffiwgro(intransitive) shrivel, droop, dry up
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with wither
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
wither. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wither
“wither.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wither. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wither,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wither.
Source: wither on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.