withe

[ with, with, wahyth ]

/ wɪθ, wɪð, waɪð /

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noun

a willow twig or osier.

any tough, flexible twig or stem suitable for binding things together.

an elastic handle for a tool, to lessen shock occurring in use.

a partition dividing flues of a chimney.

verb (used with object), withed, with·ing.

to bind with withes.

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Origin of withe

before 1000; Middle English, Old English withthe; akin to Old Norse vīthirwithy, Gothic kunawida chain, Latin viēre to weave together

Words nearby withe

withdrawal symptoms, withdrawal syndrome, withdrawing room, withdrawn, withdrew, withe, wither, witherite, withe rod, wither on the vine, withers

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use withe in a sentence

Please cut down a hickory withe, and peel the bark off for me, while I hold its legs.
Wild Western Scenes|John Beauchamp Jones
Nathelesse she holdyng that place givethe others for to signyfie; for withe-out cifre or cifres a pure article may not be writte.
The Earliest Arithmetics in English|Anonymous
It was Wastei, and he carried in his hand a magnificent string of trout, threaded by the gills upon a willow withe.
Greifenstein|F. Marion Crawford
Others are used in handles, either fastened with gum, or consisting of a withe passed round the stone and tied underneath.
The Evolution of Culture|Augustus Henry Lane-Fox Pitt-Rivers

We hooked ourselves to the withe and made lively tracks to the shanty, where we could talk and laugh of the day's hunt.
Fifty Years a Hunter and Trapper|Eldred Nathaniel Woodcock

British Dictionary definitions for withe

withe

/ (wɪθ, wɪð, waɪð) /

noun

a strong flexible twig, esp of willow, suitable for binding things together; withy

a band or rope of twisted twigs or stems

a handle made of elastic material, fitted on some tools to reduce the shock during use

a wall with a thickness of half a brick, such as a leaf of a cavity wall, or a division between two chimney flues

verb

(tr) to bind with withes

Word Origin for withe

Old English withthe; related to Old Norse vithja, Old High German witta, widi, Gothic wida

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