— witheredness , n. — witherer , n. — witheringly , adv.
/widh"euhr/ , v.i.
1. to shrivel; fade; decay: The grapes had withered on the vine.
2. to lose the freshness of youth, as from age (often fol. by away ).
v.t.
3. to make flaccid, shrunken, or dry, as from loss of moisture; cause to lose freshness, bloom, vigor, etc.: The drought withered the buds.
4. to affect harmfully: Reputations were withered by the scandal.
5. to abash, as by a scathing glance: a look that withered him.
[ 1250-1300; ME, perh. var. of WEATHER (v.) ]
Syn. 1. wrinkle, shrink, dry, decline, languish, droop, waste. WITHER, SHRIVEL imply a shrinking, wilting, and wrinkling. WITHER (of plants and flowers) is to dry up, shrink, wilt, fade, whether as a natural process or as the result of exposure to excessive heat or drought: Plants withered in the hot sun. SHRIVEL, used of thin, flat objects and substances, such as leaves, the skin, etc., means to curl, roll up, become wrinkled: The leaves shrivel in cold weather. Paper shrivels in fire. 5. humiliate, shame.