wither

wither
[[t]wɪ̱ðə(r)[/t]]
1) VERB If someone or something withers, they become very weak.

When he went into retirement, he visibly withered...

The question now is whether the railways will flourish or wither in the hands of the private sector.

Wither away means the same as wither.

V P To see my body literally wither away before my eyes was exasperating.

2) VERB If a flower or plant withers, it dries up and dies.

The flowers in Isabel's room had withered...

Farmers in the Midwest have watched their crops wither because of drought conditions.

Derived words:
withered ADJ-GRADED usu ADJ n

...a mound of withered leaves...

His fridge was bare apart from three very withered tomatoes.

3) N-PLURAL The highest part of a horse's back, behind its neck, is referred to as its withers.
Phrasal Verbs:

English dictionary. 2008.

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Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • wither — wither, shrivel, wizen mean to lose or cause to lose freshness and smoothness of appearance. Wither implies a loss of vital moisture (as sap or body fluids) with consequent fading or drying up and ultimate decay or death {withered leaves}… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Wither — est un super héros mutant appartenant à l’univers de Marvel Comics. Il est apparu pour la première fois dans New Mutants vol.2 #3, en 2003. Origines Le jeune Kevin Ford développa un pouvoir mortel à la puberté, tuant son père par accident. Il… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Wither — With er, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Withered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Withering}.] [OE. wideren; probably the same word as wederen to weather (see {Weather}, v. & n.); or cf. G. verwittern to decay, to be weather beaten, Lith. vysti to wither.] [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Wither — With er, v. t. 1. To cause to fade, and become dry. [1913 Webster] The sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth. James i. 11. [1913 Webster] 2. To cause to shrink, wrinkle, or decay,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wither — [with′ər] vi. [ME widren, var. of wederen, lit., to weather, expose to the weather < weder, WEATHER] 1. to dry up, as from great heat; shrivel; wilt: said esp. of plants 2. to lose vigor or freshness; become wasted or decayed 3. to weaken;… …   English World dictionary

  • wither — index decay, decline (fall), degenerate, diminish, languish, perish Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton …   Law dictionary

  • Wither —   [ wɪȓə], George, englischer Dichter, * Bentworth (County Hampshire) 11. 6. 1588, ✝ London 2. 5. 1667; schrieb pastorale, didaktische und satirische Lyrik. Ein gegen den Königshof gerichtetes spöttisches Gedicht (»Abuses stript and whipt«, 1613) …   Universal-Lexikon

  • wither — 1530s, alteration of M.E. wydderen dry up, shrivel (c.1300), apparently a differentiated and special use of wederen to expose to weather (see WEATHER (Cf. weather)). Cf. Ger. verwittern to become weather beaten, from Witter weather …   Etymology dictionary

  • wither — [v] droop, decline atrophy, become stale, blast, blight, collapse, constrict, contract, decay, deflate, desiccate, deteriorate, die, disintegrate, dry, dry up, fade, fold, languish, perish, shrink, shrivel, wane, waste, waste away, wilt, wizen;… …   New thesaurus

  • wither — ► VERB 1) (of a plant) become dry and shrivelled. 2) become shrunken or wrinkled from age or disease. 3) fall into decay or decline. 4) (withering) scornful. DERIVATIVES witheringly adverb. ORIGIN …   English terms dictionary

  • wither — UK [ˈwɪðə(r)] / US [ˈwɪðər] verb Word forms wither : present tense I/you/we/they wither he/she/it withers present participle withering past tense withered past participle withered 1) wither or wither away [intransitive] to become weaker or… …   English dictionary

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