withy

American  

[with-ee, with-ee] / ˈwɪð i, ˈwɪθ i /

noun

plural

withies

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

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

Example Sentences

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 typical one is "The Currach Race"�a currach being the paper-thin, skin and withy rowboat in which Galway fishermen put out into the Atlantic.

From Time Magazine Archive

That Georgian's cue, it, Compared with your sceptre, is just a mere withy.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 101, November 28, 1891 by Various

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 Jefferies, Richard