withers

Meanings

Noun

the highest part of the back at the base of the neck of various animals especially draft animals
The part of the back of a four-legged animal that is between the shoulder blades; in many species the highest point of the body and the standard place to measure the animal's height.

Verb

wither, as with a loss of moisture
lose freshness, vigor, or vitality
third-person singular simple present indicative of wither

Origin / Etymology

From dialectal English wither (“against”) (compare wither-) + -s; see with. So-named because it is the part of the horse that pushes against a load. Compare German Widerrist (“withers”), from wider (“against”) + Rist (“wrist”).

Synonyms

fade, shrink, shrivel, shrivel up, wither

Scrabble Score: 13

withers is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
withers is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
withers is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 12

withers is a valid Words With Friends word