swither
[swith -er]
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noun British Dialect.
a state of confusion, excitement, or perplexity.
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. 2019
Examples from the Web for swither
Historical Examples of swither
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.
MerklandMrs. Oliphant
He seemed to be in a swither whether to return home, to follow ye, or to lie down and die by the road.
Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 17Alexander Leighton
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 SplendidNeil Munro
swither
verb (intr)
noun
Word Origin for swither
C16: of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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