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

  1. To shrivel, droop or dry up, especially from lack...

Ancestry of “wither”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwither—
2Old Englishwiþertoward, against; again, against; against, in...
3Proto-West Germanicwiþrtoward, against
4Proto-Germanicwiþrątoward, against
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwī-tero-further apart
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwiapart, asunder; away from, against

Words derived from “wither”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wi →