withering

adj

Etymology: Etymology tree English wither English -ing English withering From wither + -ing.

1. Tending to destroy, devastate, overwhelm, or cause complete destruction.

   “The D-Day troops came under withering fire.”

   “Before the clearing had been half crossed the Arabs opened up a withering fire from behind the palisade.”

2. Diminishing rapidly.

   “The playboy seemed oblivious to his withering fortune as he continued in his decadent lifestyle.”

   “Go—ask of nature in thy walk. The rose-bud, dying on its stalk, The fading grass—the withering tree, Are emblems of thy fate and thee.”

3. Tending to make someone feel small; scornful in a mortifying way.

   “Jane's mother in law gave her a withering look.”

   “He made withering remarks about his adversary.”

name

1. A surname.

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree English wither English -ing English withering From wither + -ing.

1. The process by which something withers.

   “Spiritual witherings and decayings are opposite to the word of God.”

verb

Etymology: Etymology tree English wither English -ing English withering From wither + -ing.

1. present participle and gerund of wither