WITHER • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Wither

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/wˈɪðər/ Listen

verb

Wither v. t.

1.

To cause to fade, and become dry. "The sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth."

2.

To cause to shrink, wrinkle, or decay, for want of animal moisture. "Age can not wither her." "Shot forth pernicious fire Among the accursed, that withered all their strength."

3.

To cause to languish, perish, or pass away; to blight; as, a reputation withered by calumny. "The passions and the cares that wither life."

Wither v. i. (past & past part. withered; pres. part. withering)

1.

To fade; to lose freshness; to become sapless; to become sapless; to dry or shrivel up. "Shall he hot pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither?"

2.

To lose or want animal moisture; to waste. "This is man, old, wrinkled, faded, withered." "There was a man which had his hand withered." "Now warm in love, now with'ring in the grave."

3.

To lose vigor or power; to languish; to pass away. "Names that must not wither." "States thrive or wither as moons wax and wane."

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Etymology of 'Wither'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Wither" Quotes from Famous Books

... to the bedside, and whispered to him that no drop of rain had fallen inside the cottage. As he spoke the words, he saw a change pass over his grandfather's face—the sharp features seemed to wither up on a sudden; the eager expression to grow vacant and death-like in an instant. The voice, too, altered; it was harsh and querulous no more; its tones became strangely soft, slow, and solemn, when the ...

— After Dark • Wilkie Collins

... suffice that there is just enough of the author to be got in glimpses here and there to enable the proprietor of him in type to judge his quality and power. That is what such men as Lamb wanted—all they wanted. A copy of Burton's Anatomy, of Wither's Emblems, or Browne's Urn-Burial, in the best and newest morocco, was apt to be a hinderance to their enjoyment of the beauties of the text, was almost bound to strike them as an intrusion and an impertinence—perchance ...

— The Book-Collector • William Carew Hazlitt

... at the door thyself, if thou art afraid my breath will wither thy frail flower," Ahmara sneered. "Tell her to escape quickly into the shadows of the oasis, for the master will not care to lose his dignity in hunting her. As for thee, thou canst run to guard her from harm, as thou hast done before when she wandered, and I will carry ...

— A Soldier of the Legion • C. N. Williamson

... in Kilbride churchyard. The dead man wound about the living with his clay-cold limbs, caught him in icy grips that froze the terrified blood from his heart, and breathed upon him soundlessly a chill breath of the grave that seemed to wither him. Yet Mike fought furiously, as one who fights not only to satisfy a hate, but as one who fights to gain a love. He had a dim knowledge of the fight he was making, a dim premonition that the dead man was more than his match. ...

— An Isle in the Water • Katharine Tynan

... a race of gladiators then, such as the world will never see again,—mighty fighters before the king. Pepe Illo and Costillares, Romero and Paco Montes,—the world does not contain the stuff to make their counterparts. They were serious, earnest men. They would have let their right arms wither before they would have courted the applause of the mob by killing a bull outside of the severe traditions. Compare them with the men of to-day, with your Rafael Molina, who allows himself to be gored, ...

— Castilian Days • John Hay

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