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Withe
Definitions
- 1 A flexible, slender shoot or twig, especially when used as a band or for binding; a withy.
"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;[…]"
- 2 band or rope made of twisted twigs or stems wordnet
- 3 A band of twisted twigs.
"They deemed it little scathe indeed / That her coarse homespun ragged weed / Fell off from her round arms and lithe / Laid on the door-post, that a withe / Of willows was her only belt; / And each as he gazed at her felt / As some gift had been given him."
- 4 strong flexible twig wordnet
- 5 An elastic handle to a tool to save the hand from the shock of blows.
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- 6 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.
"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."
- 7 Alternative spelling of wythe (“single section of bricks one unit thick”). alt-of, alternative
"[…] single withe of brick laid flat in common bond reinforced vertically by 8" piers"
- 8 Alternative spelling of wythe (“partition between flues in a chimney”). alt-of, alternative
"... chimney space, and the joints of any two adjoining sets of flue linings shall be offset at least 7 inches. When there are more than two flues in a chimney, each third flue shall be separated from the others by a withe or division[…]"
- 1 To bind with withes. transitive
"As soon as the body of Deerslayer was withed in bark sufficiently to create a lively sense of helplessness, he was literally carried to a young tree, and bound against it, in a way that effectually prevented it from moving,"
- 2 To beat with withes. transitive
"Question. Did you hear of the circumstances of William Davis having been whipped on the 5th day of December, the day before the cutting took place? Answer Yes, sir; I did that evening, when he came home. Q. Did you examine where he had been withed? A. Yes, sir."
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.
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.
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