Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1976 (SND Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
WITHER, v.1 Also Sc. forms wuther (Rxb. 1847 J. Halliday Rustic Bard 166); widder (Abd. 1921 Swatches o' Hamespun 7), ¶wedder (Abd. 1832 A. Beattie Poems 139). The form witter (Lth. 1786 Scots Mag. (Nov. 1809) 845) seems to be a misprint. Sc. forms and usages: 1. To wash the starch out of summer garments and leave them unironed for putting away for winter (m.Sc. 1957). Cf. obs. Eng. weather, to air, dry; 2. in comb. wither-shanks, thin legs; slim ankles (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.). Cf. obs. Eng. wither-boned, -faced.
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"Wither v.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/wither_v1>
