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withy

 - 3 dictionary results

with⋅y

  [with-ee, with-ee] noun, plural with⋅ies, adjective, with⋅i⋅er, with⋅i⋅est. Chiefly British
Use withy in a Sentence
–noun
1. a willow.
2. a pliable branch or twig, esp. a withe.
3. a band, loop, halter, or rope of slender twigs; widdy.
–adjective
4. made of pliable branches or twigs, esp. of withes.
5. flexible; pliable.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE wīthig; akin to withe, ON vīthir, OHG wīda, Gk ītéa willow, L vītis vine
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To withy
with·y   (wĭth'ē, wĭth'ē)   
adj.  

  1. Made of or as flexible as withes; tough.

  2. Wiry and agile.

n.   pl. with·ies

  1. A rope or band made of withes.

    1. A long flexible twig, as that of an osier.

    2. A tree or shrub having such twigs.


[withe + -y1. N., from Middle English withye, willow branch, from Old English wīthig, willow; see wei- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

withy 
O.E. wiðig "willow, willow twig," from P.Gmc. *withjon- "willow" (cf. O.N. viðir, Dan. vidje, O.H.G. wida, Ger. Weide "willow"), from PIE *wei-ti-, suffixed form of base *wei- "to bend, twist" (cf. Avestan vaeiti- "osier," Gk. itea "willow," L. vitis "vine," Lith. vytis "willow twig," Pol. witwa, Welsh gwden "willow," Rus. vitvina "branch, bough").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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