Wither
/ˈwɪðər/noun
To dry up, shrivel, or lose strength, vitality, or effectiveness.
Did you know?Wither comes from an old Germanic root meaning “to dry up,” and it’s related to words for weather, so in the oldest sense, to wither is to be changed by the elements themselves.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wed-
“to wet, water”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*witherōną
“to dry up, wither”
Old English
English
witherian
“to dry up, shrivel, fade”
Middle English
English
witheren
“to become dry or shriveled”
Modern English
English
wither
“to dry up, shrivel, or lose vitality”