Dictionary

withy en · NOUN · etymology 1

Etymology

Inherited from Old English wīþiġ.

Meanings

1. An osier (Salix viminalis), a type of willow.
2. A long flexible twig of the osier; a withe.
   • In the midst of the meadow was a space marked out with withies sixty paces either way for the wrastling ground. 1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC, page 17:

Forms

Synonyms

willow (osier)

withy en · ADJ · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˈwɪθ.i/
• /ˈwɪð.i/

Etymology

From withe + -y.

Meanings

1. (archaic) Flexible, like a withe.
   • I would work at my spells from dawn until dusk, dig up roots and forget to eat, harvest the withy stems and weave baskets till they piled to the ceiling. 2018, Madeline Miller, Circe, Little, Brown and Company, page 285:
   • The Merlons, to the end that they may be good, ought to be made of Earth, the most eaſie to be tempered that may be: And this Earth ought alſo to be mixed with Withy Twigs, or Brambles, provided they take Root, after which they are to be lined with good Turff. 1693, “Of the Embrasures or Merlons”, in Abel Swall, transl., The New Method of Fortification, as Practised by Monsieur de Vauban, Engineer General of France. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Abell Swall; […], →OCLC, book IV, page 75:

Forms

Synonyms

flexible