Etymology Recorded since 1691, probably an alteration of welk, itself from Middle English welken, presumed from Middle Dutch (preserved in modern inchoative verwelken) or Middle Low German welken (“to wither”), cognate with Old High German irwelhen (“to become soft”).
1
To droop or become limp and flaccid (as a dying leaf or flower).
2
To fatigue; to lose strength; to flag.
Not only were Jupp Heynckes' team pacey in attack but they were relentless in their pursuit of the ball once they had lost it, and as the game wore on they merely increased their dominance as City wilted in the Allianz Arena.2011 September 27, Alistair Magowan, “Bayern Munich 2 - 0 Man City”, in BBC Sport:
Caught between hails of 5″/38 fire and working Mk 14 torpedoes, on the one hand, and 16-inch batteries backed up by even more 5″/38 guns, on the other, the Japanese cruisers rapidly began to wilt under the sustained bombardment; firing off any remaining torpedoes they had at any targets that they could find and bring to bear, the survivors wheeled about and began to beat a retreat.2021 May 5, Drachinifel, 40:43 from the start, in Battle of Samar - What if TF34 was there?, archived from the original on 19 Aug 2022:
3
To cause to droop or become limp and flaccid (as a flower).
Peer pressure on both partners, even from within the lesbian community, can help to wilt a budding intergenerational romance.1982 February 6, Mary E. O'Shaughnessy, “Younger And Older Lesbians”, in Gay Community News, volume 9, number 28, page 4:
4
To cause to fatigue; to exhaust.
wilt
noun
Etymology Recorded since 1691, probably an alteration of welk, itself from Middle English welken, presumed from Middle Dutch (preserved in modern inchoative verwelken) or Middle Low German welken (“to wither”), cognate with Old High German irwelhen (“to become soft”).
Etymology From Middle English wilt, from Old English wilt, from Proto-West Germanic *wilt, second person singular preterite-present of Proto-West Germanic *willjan. Cognate with Dutch wilt (“wilt”, second-person singular of willen), German willt (archaic second person singular indicative of wollen).
'Oh, my love, my love!' she murmured, 'wilt thou ever know how I have loved thee?' and she kissed him on the forehead, and then went and stood in the pathway of the flame of Life.1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
If thou triest my heart, if thou visitest me by night, if thou testest me, thou wilt find no wickedness in me.1952, Bible (Revised Standard Version), Psalms 17:3