different between wilt vs withers

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /w?lt/
• Rhymes: -?lt

Etymology 1

Recorded since 1691, probably an alteration of welk, itself from Middle English welken, presumed from Middle Dutch (preserved in modern inchoative verwelken) or Middle Low German welken (“to wither”), cognate with Old High German irwelhen (“to become soft”).

Verb

wilt (third-person singular simple present wilts, present participle wilting, simple past and past participle wilted)

1. (intransitive) To droop or become limp and flaccid (as a dying leaf or flower).
2. (intransitive) To fatigue; to lose strength.
3. (transitive) To cause to droop or become limp and flaccid (as a flower).
4. (transitive) To cause to fatigue; to exhaust.

Translations

Noun

wilt (countable and uncountable, plural wilts)

1. The act of wilting or the state of being wilted.
2. (phytopathology) Any of various plant diseases characterized by wilting.

Translations

Etymology 2

Verb

wilt

1. (archaic) second-person singular simple present form of will
   • 1952, Bible (Revised Standard Version), Psalms 17:3

     If thou triest my heart, if thou visitest me by night, if thou testest me, thou wilt find no wickedness in me.

Anagrams

• IWLT

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -?lt
• IPA^(key): /??lt/
• Homophone: wild

Verb

wilt

1. second-person singular present indicative of willen
2. (archaic) plural imperative of willen

Middle Dutch

Verb

wilt

1. inflection of willen:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person plural present indicative
   3. plural imperative

English

Etymology

From dialectal English wither (“against”) (compare wither-) +? -s; see with. So-named because it is the part of the horse that pushes against a load. Compare German Widerrist (“withers”), from wider (“against”) + Rist (“wrist”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?w?ð.?z/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?w?ð.?z/
• Hyphenation: with?ers

Noun

withers pl (normally plural, singular wither)

1. The part of the back of a four-legged animal that is between the shoulder blades; in many species the highest point of the body and the standard place to measure the animal's height. [from 1580]

Usage notes

Even in the plural, this noun refers to one object. The synonymous singular, wither, is less common.

Hyponyms

• nape

Coordinate terms

• scruff

Derived terms

• fistulous withers
• wither-wrung
• wring one's withers

Translations

Further reading

• withers on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Verb

withers

1. Third-person singular simple present indicative form of wither

References

Anagrams

• swither, whister, wishter, writhes