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swither

[swith -er]
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noun British Dialect.
  1. a state of confusion, excitement, or perplexity.
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Origin of swither

1495–1505; origin uncertain; compare Old English geswithrian to retire, dwindle, fail
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for swither

Historical Examples

  • A the folk say there was nae doubt about it, and sae does my mother, but my father was aye in a swither; he thought it couldna be.

    Merkland

    Mrs. Oliphant

  • He seemed to be in a swither whether to return home, to follow ye, or to lie down and die by the road.

  • The whole works ud be in a swither 'fore iver we'd time to ax what was comin'.

  • Strong cruel brutes, they did not swither a moment, but both leaped at M'Iver's throat.

    John Splendid

    Neil Munro

British Dictionary definitions for swither

swither

verb (intr)
  1. to hesitate; vacillate; be perplexed
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noun
  1. hesitation; perplexity; agitation
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Word Origin

C16: of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012