swither
English
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Etymology 1
[edit]From Middle English *swithren, from Old Norse sviðra (“to burn, singe”). Related to Middle English swithen (“to burn, scorch, singe”), from Old Norse svíða (“to burn”).
Alternative forms
[edit]Verb
[edit]swither (third-person singular simple present swithers, present participle swithering, simple past and past participle swithered)
- (dialectal) To burn, scorch, singe.
- (dialectal) To burn slowly, melt (as a candle), sweal
- (dialectal, figurative) To smart, ache; tingle
Noun
[edit]swither (countable and uncountable, plural swithers)
Etymology 2
[edit]First attested in 1501; of unknown origin.
Verb
[edit]swither (third-person singular simple present swithers, present participle swithering, simple past and past participle swithered)
- (Scotland, Northern England) To be indecisive or in a state of confusion; to dither.
- To move or swing about.
- 1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 51:
- He was filling his pipe, staring at his picture, not her, and this tacit dismissal allowed her to sidle over to the bank higher up, and there swither her legs about in the water before coming out of it.
Noun
[edit]swither (plural swithers)
- (chiefly Scotland, Northern England) A state of indecision or confusion; a panicked state; a flap, fluster, or dither.
Anagrams
[edit]Scots
[edit]Etymology
[edit]First attested in 1501; of unknown origin.
Pronunciation
[edit]Verb
[edit]swither (third-person singular simple present swithers, present participle switherin, simple past swithert, past participle swithert)
- to be indecisive, to dither, to hesitate.
- to doubt, to be doubtful, to fear.
- to fail, to falter, to waver.
Noun
[edit]swither (plural swithers)
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɪðə(ɹ)
- Rhymes:English/ɪðə(ɹ)/2 syllables
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old Norse
- English lemmas
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- Scottish English
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