wither-

prefix

Against, in opposition to; in return; counter-; contrary (to); in the opposite direction (of or to); backwards.

OriginMiddle English wither- ← Old English wiþer- ← Proto-West Germanic *wiþra- →
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Meanings

prefix

alternative weather- · alternative wother- · alternative widder-

  1. ScotlandUKdialectalAgainst, in opposition to; in return; counter-; contrary (to); in the opposite direction (of or to); backwards.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*wī-tero-“further apart”
  2. Proto-Germanic*wiþrą“against, toward”
  3. Proto-West Germanic*wiþra-
  4. Old Englishwiþer-“again, against”
  5. Middle Englishwither-
  6. Englishwither-

From Middle English wither-, from Old English wiþer- (“again, against”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiþra-, from Proto-Germanic *wiþrą (“against, toward”), from Proto-Indo-European *wī-tero- (“further apart”), *wī- (“separate, alone”). Cognate with Low German wedder (“against”), Dutch weer (“again, back”), German wider (“against, contrary to”), wieder (“again”). More at with.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

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Cite this entry
APA

wither-. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wither-

MLA

“wither-.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wither-. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wither-,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wither-.

Source: wither- on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.