withe means A flexible, slender shoot or twig, especially when used as a band or for binding; a withy. It carries an Arena rating of 1669, earned across 11 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, withe ranks #190 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #418 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #1,107 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #1,727 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words.
withe is pronounced /wɪθ/.
Why “withe” is a great word
A flexible, slender shoot or twig used for binding or as a band. From Middle English *withe*, *withthe*, from Old English *wiþe*, *wiþþe* (“cord, band, thong, fetter”), from Proto-Germanic *wiþiz*, *wiþjǭ* (“cord, rope”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéh₁itis* (“that which twines”), from *weyt-* (“that which winds or bends”), from *wey-* (“to turn, wind, bend”). Unlike “withy,” which names the willow or osier branch itself, or “cord,” which suggests manufactured twine, a withe is the raw, green ligature—the basket-maker’s thumbnail scoring bark to reveal the pale cambium, the thatcher’s hand threading damp shoots through straw to anchor a ridge, the black and petrified band still clasping a medieval sheaf. There is something tender in the word, in the thing: a marriage of strength and give, of holding without crushing, of binding what must still breathe.
Etymology
From Middle English withe, withthe, from Old English wiþe, wiþþe (“cord, band, thong, fetter”), from Proto-Germanic *wiþiz, *wiþjǭ (“cord, rope”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéh₁itis (“that which twines”), from *weyt- (“that which winds or bends, branch, switch”), from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“to turn, wind, bend”). Cognate with Danish vidje (“wicker”), Swedish vidja (“withe, wicker, osier”), Icelandic við, viðja (“a withe”), Latin vītis (“vine”), Russian ветвь (vetvʹ, “branch, bough, limb”). Doublet of vice (“a type of tool, etc.”). The brickwork and chimney architecture senses may have a different etymology, see wythe.
noun
- A flexible, slender shoot or twig, especially when used as a band or for binding; a withy.e.g.“It was most ingeniously secured at vacant hours, by a withe twisted in the handle of the door, and stakes set against the window-shutters;[…]” — 1810, Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow:
- A band of twisted twigs.
- An elastic handle to a tool to save the hand from the shock of blows.
- An iron attachment on one end of a mast or boom, with a ring, through which another mast or boom is rigged out and secured.e.g.“Some short topgallant masts are rigged with a withe on the after part of the mast-head, through which a sliding-gunter royal-mast is run up, with its heel resting in a step on the topmast cap.” — 1841, Richard Henry Dana, The Seaman's Friend:
verb
- To bind with withes.
- To beat with withes.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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