Where does “wither” come from?
wither (Middle English) comes from Old English wiþer, from Proto-West Germanic wiþr, from Proto-Germanic wiþrą, from Proto-Indo-European wī-tero-, from Proto-Indo-European wi — apart, asunder; away from, against.
Ancestry of “wither”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | wiþer | toward, against; again, against; against, in... |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | wiþr | toward, against |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | wiþrą | toward, against |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | wī-tero- | further apart |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wi | apart, asunder; away from, against |