From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Wither \With"er\, v. t.
1. To cause to fade, and become dry.
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The sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but
it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof
falleth. --James i. 11.
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2. To cause to shrink, wrinkle, or decay, for want of animal
moisture. "Age can not wither her." --Shak.
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Shot forth pernicious fire
Among the accursed, that withered all their
strength. --Milton.
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3. To cause to languish, perish, or pass away; to blight; as,
a reputation withered by calumny.
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The passions and the cares that wither life.
--Bryant.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Wither \With"er\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Withered; p. pr. & vb.
n. Withering.] [OE. wideren; probably the same word as
wederen to weather (see Weather, v. & n.); or cf. G.
verwittern to decay, to be weather-beaten, Lith. vysti to
wither.]
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1. To fade; to lose freshness; to become sapless; to become
sapless; to dry or shrivel up.
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Shall he hot pull up the roots thereof, and cut off
the fruit thereof, that it wither? --Ezek. xvii.
9.
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2. To lose or want animal moisture; to waste; to pin? away,
as animal bodies.
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This is man, old, wrinkled, faded, withered. --Shak.
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There was a man which had his hand withered. --Matt.
xii. 10.
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Now warm in love, now with'ring in the grave.
--Dryden.
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3. To lose vigor or power; to languish; to pass away. "Names
that must not wither." --Byron.
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States thrive or wither as moons wax and wane.
--Cowper.
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From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
wither
v 1: wither, as with a loss of moisture; "The fruit dried and
shriveled" [syn: shrivel, shrivel up, shrink,
wither]
2: lose freshness, vigor, or vitality; "Her bloom was fading"
[syn: fade, wither]