swither

[ swith-er ]

/ ˈswɪð ər /

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noun British Dialect.

a state of confusion, excitement, or perplexity.

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IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

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Origin of swither

1495–1505; origin uncertain; compare Old English geswithrian to retire, dwindle, fail

Words nearby swither

switch plate, switch plug, switch selling, switchyard, swith, swither, Swithin, Switz., Switzer, Switzerland, swive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use swither in a sentence

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 17|Alexander Leighton
Strong cruel brutes, they did not swither a moment, but both leaped at M'Iver's throat.
John Splendid|Neil Munro
The whole works ud be in a swither 'fore iver we'd time to ax what was comin'.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 15, No. 90, April, 1865|Various
Meanwhile the big mother moose was thrashing around in the bushes in a terrible swither, calling her calf to come.
Wood Folk at School|William J. Long

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

British Dictionary definitions for swither

swither

/ (ˈswɪðər) Scot /

verb (intr)

to hesitate; vacillate; be perplexed

noun

hesitation; perplexity; agitation

Word Origin for swither

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