• (America) IPA: /ˈwɪðɚ/; enPR: wĭthʹər
• (RP) IPA: /ˈwɪðə/

wither (withers, present participle withering; past and past participle withered)

1. (intransitive) To shrivel, droop or dry up, especially from lack of water.
2. (transitive) To cause to shrivel or dry up.
   • Bible, Matthew xii. 10

     There was a man which had his hand withered.

     c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act IV, scene v]:

     This is man, old, wrinkled, faded, withered.

   • now warm in love, now with'ring in the grave

3. (intransitive, figurative) To lose vigour or power; to languish; to pass away.

   • names that must not wither

   • States thrive or wither as moons wax and wane.

4. (intransitive) To become helpless due to emotion.
5. (transitive) To make helpless due to emotion.

• French: flétrir, faner, dessécher
• German: vertrocknen, welken, verwelken, verdorren
• Italian: appassire, essiccare, inaridire, raggrinzire, avvizzire
• Portuguese: murchar murchar, mirrar, mirrar
• Russian: вя́нуть
• Spanish: marchitar

• Italian: inaridire, avvizzire, inaridirsi
• Spanish: decaer

• Spanish: marchitar

• German: schwächer werden, verkümmern, schwinden

• Portuguese: decair
• Spanish: decaer

wither (plural withers)

1. singular of withers#English|withers (“part of the back of a four-legged animal that is between the shoulder blades”)
   • 2007, Sara Douglass, Enchanter, Macmillan (ISBN 9781429911511):

     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.

   • 2008, Kate Luxmoore, Introduction to Equestrian Sports (ISBN 9780643094796), page 140:

     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.

wither

1. (obsolete or chiefly in compounds) Against, in opposition to.

wither (withers, present participle withering; past and past participle withered)

1. (obsolete) To go against, resist; oppose.

1. Surname