Meanings
plural withersakes · alternative wythersake
- archaicAn apostate or perfidious renegade.
"Go to with thy trade," replied Father Adrian, "I know thee not but for a lying withersake; a base pilfering waster and drawlatch; a cutting ribald moss trooper, and doer of ran and rapine; a common lecher and brawler; […]
1822, Lee Gibbons [pseudonym of William Bennett], Malpas; Or Le Poursuivant D'Amour. A Romance, EtcSynonyms: transfuge, turncoat, backstabber, betrayer, cockatrice, double-crosser, quisling, rat
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn apostate or perfidious renegade.
Origin
- Proto-West Germanic*wiþrasakō
- Old Englishwiþersaca“adversary, enemy; betrayer; apostate”
- Middle Englishwithersake
- Englishwithersake
From Middle English withersake, from Old English wiþersaca (“adversary, enemy; betrayer; apostate”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiþrasakō, equivalent to wither- (“against”) + sake. Cognate with Middle High German widersache, Modern German Widersacher (“adversary, opponent, antagonist, foe”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
withersake. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/withersake
“withersake.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/withersake. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “withersake,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/withersake.
Source: withersake on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.