different between wither vs decay
wither
English
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /?w?ð?/; enPR: w?th??r
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /?w?ð?/
- Rhymes: -?ð?(?)
- Homophone: whither (some accents)
Etymology 1
From Middle English widren, wydderen (“to dry up, shrivel”), related to or perhaps an alteration of Middle English wederen (“to expose to weather”), from Old English wederian (“to expose to weather, exhibit a change of weather”).
Verb
wither (third-person singular simple present withers, present participle withering, simple past and past participle withered)
- (intransitive) To shrivel, droop or dry up, especially from lack of water.
- (transitive) To cause to shrivel or dry up.
- There was a man which had his hand withered.
- now warm in love, now with'ring in the grave
- (intransitive, figuratively) To lose vigour or power; to languish; to pass away.
- 1782, William Cowper, Expostulation
- States thrive or wither as moons wax and wane.
- 1782, William Cowper, Expostulation
- (intransitive) To become helpless due to emotion.
- (transitive) To make helpless due to emotion.
- (Can we add an example for this sense?)
Usage notes
- Not to be confused with whither.
Derived terms
- wither away
Translations
Etymology 2
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Noun
wither (plural withers)
- singular of withers (“part of the back of a four-legged animal that is between the shoulder blades”)
- 2007, Sara Douglass, Enchanter, Macmillan (?ISBN):
- 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), 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.
- 2007, Sara Douglass, Enchanter, Macmillan (?ISBN):
Etymology 3
From Middle English wither, from Old English wiþer (“again, against”, adverb in compounds), from Proto-West Germanic *wiþr (“against, toward”).
Adverb
wither (comparative more wither, superlative most wither)
- (obsolete or chiefly in compounds) Against, in opposition to.
Etymology 4
From Middle English witheren, from Old English wiþerian (“to resist, oppose, struggle against”).
Verb
wither (third-person singular simple present withers, present participle withering, simple past and past participle withered)
- (obsolete) To go against, resist; oppose.
Anagrams
- whiter, writhe
wither From the web:
- what withers
- what withers away
- what wither means
- what withered animatronic are you
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decay
English
Etymology
From Middle English decayen, dekeyen (“to decrease, diminish”), from Anglo-Norman decaeir (“to fall away, decay, decline”), from Medieval Latin *d?cadere, restored form of Latin decidere (“to fall away, fail, sink, perish”), from de (“down”) + cadere (“to fall”); compare decadent and decadence.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /d??ke?/
- Rhymes: -e?
- (US) enPR: d?-k??, IPA(key): /di.?ke?/
Noun
decay (countable and uncountable, plural decays)
- The process or result of being gradually decomposed.
- A deterioration of condition; loss of status or fortune.
Derived terms
Related terms
- deciduous
Translations
Verb
decay (third-person singular simple present decays, present participle decaying, simple past and past participle decayed)
- (intransitive) To deteriorate, to get worse, to lose strength or health, to decline in quality.
- The pair loved to take pictures in the decaying hospital on forty-third street.
- (intransitive, electronics, of storage media or the data on them) To undergo bit rot, that is, gradual degradation.
- (intransitive, computing, of software) To undergo software rot, that is, to fail to be updated in a changing environment, so as to eventually become legacy or obsolete.
- (intransitive, physics, of a satellite's orbit) To undergo prolonged reduction in altitude (above the orbited body).
- 2009, Francis Lyall, Paul B. Larsen, Space Law: A Treatise, page 120:
- Damaged on lift-off, Skylab was left in orbit until its orbit decayed.
- 2009, Francis Lyall, Paul B. Larsen, Space Law: A Treatise, page 120:
- (intransitive, of organic material) To rot, to go bad.
- The cat's body decayed rapidly.
- (intransitive, transitive, physics, chemistry, of an unstable atom) To change by undergoing fission, by emitting radiation, or by capturing or losing one or more electrons.
- 2005, Encyclopedia of Earth Science (edited by Timothy M. Kusky; ?ISBN, page 349:
- Uranium decays to radium through a long series of steps with a cumulative half-life of 4.4 billion years.
- 2005, Encyclopedia of Earth Science (edited by Timothy M. Kusky; ?ISBN, page 349:
- (intransitive, transitive, physics, of a quantum system) To undergo optical decay, that is, to relax to a less excited state, usually by emitting a photon or phonon.
- (intransitive, aviation) Loss of airspeed due to drag.
- (transitive) To cause to rot or deteriorate.
- The extreme humidity decayed the wooden sculptures in the museum's collection in a matter of years.
Translations
Further reading
- decay in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- decay in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Anagrams
- Dacey
decay From the web:
- what decays
- what decay mean
- what decay process is shown explain
- what decays teeth
- what decay emits electrons
- what decays into lead
- what decays exponentially
- what decays into gold
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