withy

American  

[with-ee, with-ee] / ˈwɪð i, ˈwɪθ i /

noun

• withies
  plural

1. a willow.

2. a pliable branch or twig, especially a withe.

3. a band, loop, halter, or rope of slender twigs; widdy.

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adjective

withier, withiest

1. made of pliable branches or twigs, especially of withes.

2. flexible; pliable.

withy British  

/ ˈwɪðɪ /

noun

1. a variant spelling of withe withe

2. a willow tree, esp an osier

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adjective

1. (of people) tough and agile

2. rare resembling a withe in strength or flexibility

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• withies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of withy

before 1000; Middle English; Old English wīthig; akin to withe, Old Norse vīthir, Old High German wīda, Greek ītéa willow, Latin vītis vine

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

withy withies

The HCA estimates the number of professional withy pot-makers is now in single figures and those who remain use it as a sideline to their main income.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2020

“Seismicity is a feature of mining in the region and deep-level mining layouts and support systems have been designed specifically to cope withy seismicity,” Neal Froneman said in a presentation to investors.

From Reuters ● Jun. 7, 2018

A war-arrow was furnished with a cord or twist of withy at one end, and was intended to summon all men armed to a Thing.

From The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald The Tyrant (Harald Haardraade) by Ethel Harriet Hearn

When near the bank two may even be captured with a good withy noose: with a wire a clever hand will make a certainty of it.

From The Gamekeeper At Home Sketches of Natural History and Rural Life by Richard Jefferies

A low fence of withy had long since decayed, nothing but a few rotten stakes remaining at the very verge of the precipice.

From The Amateur Poacher by Richard Jefferies

The sculptures were woven from willow withies at Martin’s workshop in Devon, where he created the work in sections.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2023

Finally, we came upon this man's workshop, and the withies were fabulous.

From Time Magazine Archive

In this case, however, the tenant had wisely planted the ground with withies, which he managed to get at for lopping when its turn came round every seven years.

From Grain and Chaff from an English Manor by Arthur H. Savory

Rushes, withies, and trees grew beneath the shadow of its ruins.

From The Excavations of Roman Baths at Bath by Charles E. Davis

My nurse, a Cornwall woman, tells me hipper withies fetch a higher price than common withies in her country.

From Notes and Queries, Number 54, November 9, 1850 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. by George Bell

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