From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Wither \With"er\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Withered}; p. pr. & vb.
n. {Withering}.] [OE. wideren; probably the same word as
wederen to weather (see {Weather}, v. & n.); or cf. G.
verwittern to decay, to be weather-beaten, Lith. vysti to
wither.]
[1913 Webster]
1. To fade; to lose freshness; to become sapless; to become
sapless; to dry or shrivel up.
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Shall he hot pull up the roots thereof, and cut off
the fruit thereof, that it wither? --Ezek. xvii.
9.
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2. To lose or want animal moisture; to waste; to pin? away,
as animal bodies.
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This is man, old, wrinkled, faded, withered. --Shak.
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There was a man which had his hand withered. --Matt.
xii. 10.
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Now warm in love, now with'ring in the grave.
--Dryden.
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3. To lose vigor or power; to languish; to pass away. "Names
that must not wither." --Byron.
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States thrive or wither as moons wax and wane.
--Cowper.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Withering \With"er*ing\, a.
Tending to wither; causing to shrink or fade. --
{With"er*ing*ly}, adv.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
withering
adj 1: wreaking or capable of wreaking complete destruction;
"possessing annihilative power"; "a devastating
hurricane"; "the guns opened a withering fire" [syn:
{annihilative}, {annihilating}, {devastating},
{withering}]
2: making light of; "afire with annihilating invective"; "a
devastating portrait of human folly"; "to compliments
inflated I've a withering reply"- W.S.Gilbert [syn:
{annihilating}, {devastating}, {withering}]
n 1: any weakening or degeneration (especially through lack of
use) [syn: {atrophy}, {withering}]
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