I.
archaic
present second singular of will
II. ˈwilt verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: alteration of welk
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to lose turgor as a result of water loss
the plants wilted under the hot sun
b. : to become limp : sag , collapse
the parachute … starting to wilt as its great circumference swayed over and touched the paving — J.G.Cozzens
2.
a. : to break down or give way : become dispirited : flag , succumb
wilted before his opponent's barrage of hard drives — John Rendel
nor did I ever see the national droop and wilt as we saw it wither under the panic of 1907 — W.A.White
b. : to lose vitality : ebb , fade
almost laughable the way the bluster wilted out of him — Ross Annett
the romance … blossomed for six or seven months and then wilted — Saxe Commins
transitive verb
: to cause to wilt ; especially : to make (salad greens) limp by marinating in hot grease
Synonyms: see droop
III. noun
( -s )
1. : an act or instance of wilting or the state of being wilted
feels a distinct wilt of enthusiasm — Time
the train ride … brought him to his painting in an advanced state of August wilt — Lucien Price
2. also wilt disease
a. : a disease of plants characterized by loss of turgidity especially in leaf tissues, by subsequent drooping, and often by shriveling and caused by the activities of insects, viruses, fungi, and bacteria (as by actually obstructing the water-carrying vessels or by producing substances toxic to them) and by abnormal physiological or soil conditions — see fusarium wilt , verticilliosis
b. : a highly infectious often fatal disease of various caterpillars caused by a filterable virus which develops mainly in the nuclei of the cells in the insect's body, causes the viscera to liquefy, and aids greatly in reducing the abundance of many noxious insects (as the gypsy moth)