The highest point of a horse's shoulder, where the neck meets the back; or a verb meaning to dry up or shrivel.
From Old English 'wither' (dry up, shrivel), related to 'weather'. The noun use for horses is British, referring to the bony ridge of the shoulder. The verb meaning 'to shrivel' comes from the same Germanic root meaning to wither or decay.
Horse riders measure saddle fit by the 'withers'—get it wrong and the horse can't move properly. This technical term is so important that it's been standard in equestrian terminology for centuries. A plant that withers does the opposite of a seed sprouting—it's time running backwards!
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