withy
/ˈwɪð.i/
withy noun: an osier (Salix viminalis), a type of willow.
Noun
withy (plural withies)
- An osier (Salix viminalis), a type of willow.
- Synonyms:
- willow
- 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
Adjective
withy (comparative withier, superlative withiest)
- Flexible, like a withe.
- 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...
- 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
- Synonyms:
- flexible
Synonyms of withy
Forms of withy
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | withies |
| Adjective | |
| comparative | withier |
| superlative | withiest |
Origin of withy
Inherited from Old English wīþiġ.
From withe + -y.
Words that rhyme with withy
Questions about withy
- What does withy mean?
- Withy means an osier (Salix viminalis), a type of willow.
- What part of speech is withy?
- Withy can be a noun or an adjective.
- How do you pronounce withy?
- Withy is pronounced /ˈwɪð.i/.
- What is the plural of withy?
- The plural of withy is withies.
Words near withy in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: withy (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “withy.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/withy. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.