wether

American  

[weth-er] / ˈwɛð ər /

noun

• wethers
  plural

1. a castrated male sheep.

2. Also called wether wool. wool from previously shorn sheep.

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wether British  

/ ˈwɛðə /

noun

1. a male sheep, esp a castrated one

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• wethers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of wether

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

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Explanation

A wether is a ram or billy goat that was castrated at a young age. Wethers can be housed with the female sheep or goats, but intact bucks and rams usually are kept separately. Wether comes from an Old English word for – surprise!— a castrated ram. This word has been around as long as people have been talking about sheep, which is a long time. A bellwether is literally the lead wether that wears a bell, but now it’s come to refer to any leader. The word wether is rarely used unless you’re a shepherd or a farmer, for the rest of us it’s often just the wrong homophone, whether we care to admit it or not.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wether wethers

“I don’t know wether or not the action or inaction of this particular dispatcher warrants” charges, Mr. Kelly said.

From New York Times ● Jul. 8, 2022

At the time I just said it made you think wether you want to carry on in football.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 8, 2019

I don’t know wether you are aware of this, but I, too, am a tarrif man.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 10, 2018

Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn, who will become deputy majority leader next year, said that the conference has plenty of time to decide wether to stay nuclear.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 19, 2014

It was oncommon hot wether, an it pulled down purty hard on a constitushin which has had to go thru about eighty sich summers.

From Letters of Major Jack Downing, of the Downingville Militia by Seba Smith

Schlunkel had stolen two wethers from the paper-miller of Eglesthal.

From Black Forest Village Stories by Berthold Auerbach

Young61 wethers and does are in good demand.

From Practical Angora Goat Raising by

The bells of the bulls and wethers are heard tinkling their rural melody.

From The Branding Needle, or The Monastery of Charolles A Tale of the First Communal Charter by Eugène Sue

One inconvenience attending this plan is the necessity of fattening the maiden ewes as well as the wethers.

From Sheep, Swine, and Poultry Embracing the History and Varieties of Each; The Best Modes of Breeding; Their Feeding and Management; Together with etc. by Robert Jennings

High-fed wethers have reached from thirty-two to even forty pounds a quarter.

From Sheep, Swine, and Poultry Embracing the History and Varieties of Each; The Best Modes of Breeding; Their Feeding and Management; Together with etc. by Robert Jennings

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