Where does “wither-” come from?

wither- (Middle English) comes from Old English wiþer-, from Proto-Germanic *wiþra-, 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

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwiþer-against, contrary, opposed to; anti-, counter-
2Proto-Germanic*wiþra-—
3Proto-Germanicwiþrątoward, against
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwī-tero-further apart
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwiapart, asunder; away from, against

Words derived from “wither-”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wi →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wī-tero- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wiþrą →