wether

[ weth -er ]

/ ˈwɛð ər /

noun

a castrated male sheep.

Also called wether wool. wool from previously shorn sheep.

Nearby words

wet-nurse, wet-rice agriculture, weta, wetback, wetbike, wether, wethersfield, wetland, wetlands, wetproof, wettability

Origin of wether

before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Old Saxon withar, Old High German widar, Old Norse vethr, Gothic withrus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for wether

The wether was lying sprawled on the ground, in a posture that nature neither intends nor permits.
Buff: A Collie and other dog-stories|Albert Payson Terhune
It is said that a Lincoln wether has attained the weight of 304½ lbs.
The Stock-Feeder's Manual|Charles Alexander Cameron
It is not the better for being young: if it be wether mutton, of a good breed and well fed, it is best for age.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,|Mary Eaton
All subsequently cut fleeces are known as wether wool and possess relatively somewhat less value than the first clip.
Textiles|William H. Dooley

Wether mutton is the best; the meat of ewe mutton is of a paler color, and the fat yellow and spongy.
The Modern Housewife or, Menagere|Alexis Soyer

British Dictionary definitions for wether

wether

/ (ˈwɛðə) /

noun

a male sheep, esp a castrated one

Word Origin for wether

Old English hwæther; related to Old Frisian hweder, Old High German hwedar, Old Norse hvatharr

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

Word Origin and History for wether

wether

Old English weðer "ram," from Proto-Germanic *wethruz (cf. Old Saxon wethar, Old Norse veðr, Old High German widar, German Widder, Gothic wiþrus "lamb"), literally "yearling," from PIE root *wet- "year" (cf. Sanskrit vatsah "calf," Greek etalon "yearling," Latin vitulus "calf," literally "yearling"). Male sheep, especially a castrated one.