: the ridge between the shoulder bones of a horse see horse illustration
2
: a part corresponding to the withers in a quadruped (such as a dog) other than a horse
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebBut as the church withers in Europe, its geographical heart has shifted to places like Latin America and Africa. Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2022 Butter or cream of unique quality may be more essential to French cuisine, but many an unctuous sauce withers into insipidity without mustard.New York Times, 14 July 2022 As the social wage withers, individuals pin their hopes on the appreciation of their homes. Tracy Rosenthal, The New Republic, 19 May 2022 The involvement of Pearce is a wink and a nod to his role in a classic of the memory-affliction subgenre, Memento, a taut and masterful thriller in whose shadow Memory withers. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Apr. 2022 Rainfall will dip south into Washington by sunrise Thursday before the atmospheric river sags into Oregon and withers.Washington Post, 23 Nov. 2021 One worry is that China could export stagflation globally, where prices rise even as economic growth withers. Rainer Michael Preiss, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2021 The horse sustained burns on her neck and withers, Ewing said.BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2021 Global development slows and inequality festers, while cooperation on energy and food security goals withers. Michael J. Coren, Quartz, 9 Aug. 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
probably from obsolete English wither- against, from Middle English, from Old English, from wither against; from the withers being the parts which resist the pull in drawing a load — more at with