withers
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
1580, from Old English dialectical wiðer (“against”) + -s; see with. So-named because the part of the horse that pushes against a load. Compare German Widerrist (“withers”), from wider (“against”) + Rist (“wrist”).[1]
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
withers (plural only)
- (veterinary medicine) The part of the back of a draft animal or horse that is the highest, between the shoulder blades.
[edit] Usage notes
Although this noun refers to one object, there is no corresponding singular form *wither for this word, the singular form being obsolete.
[edit] Coordinate terms
[edit] Hyponyms
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
part of the back of a draft animal
[edit] Verb
withers
- Third-person singular simple present indicative form of wither.
