wither
pronunciation
How to pronounce wither in British English:
UK [ˈwɪðə(r)]
How to pronounce wither in American English:
US [ˈwɪðər]
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- Verb:
- wither, especially with a loss of moisture
- lose freshness, vigor, or vitality
Word Origin
- wither
- wither: see weather
- wither (v.)
- 1530s, alteration of Middle English wydderen "dry up, shrivel" (late 14c.), intransitive, apparently a differentiated and special use of wederen "to expose to weather" (see weather (v.)). Compare German verwittern "to become weather-beaten," from Witter "weather." Transitive sense from 1550s. Related: Withered; withering; witheringly.
Example
- 1. The only way to wither those roots is with love .
- 2. As domestic monopolies wither , notaries are looking abroad .
- 3. Reagan did not believe that freedom could be left to wither in accommodation with autocracy .
- 4. The beneficiaries are state-owned interests that many analysts had assumed would gradually wither away in the face of private-sector competition .
- 5. Some will cause us to wither , while others will help us grow and flourish .