Where does “wither” come from?
Wither derives from Middle English witheren, from Old English wiþer combined with the verb-forming suffix -ian, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots wī- and weye- with the feminine suffix -eh₂.
wither (English): To shrivel, droop or dry up, especially from lack...
Definitions
- To shrivel, droop or dry up, especially from lack...
Ancestry of “wither”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wither | — |
| 2 | Old English | wiþer | toward, against; again, against; against, in... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | wiþr | toward, against |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | wiþrą | toward, against |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wī-tero- | further apart |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wi | apart, asunder; away from, against |
Words derived from “wither”