Withy
/ˈwɪð.i/noun
Flexible twigs or branches of willow used for binding, weaving, or making baskets.
Did you know?The word comes from Old English *wīðig*, meaning “willow,” and it survives in dialect and basketry terms because willow’s bend-but-don’t-break nature made it a sacred craft material in many old societies.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wei-
“to bend, twist, turn”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*wīþigaz
“willow tree”
Old English
OE
wīðig
“willow”
Middle English
ME
withy
“willow twig; pliant branch used for binding”
Modern English
English
withy
“a willow branch or flexible twig used for tying or weaving”