From Middle English withe, withthe, from Old English wiþe, wiþþe (“cord, band, thong, fetter”), from Proto-Germanic *wiþiz, *wiþjǭ (“cord, rope”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéh₁itis (“that which twines”), from *weyt- (“that which winds or bends, branch, switch”), from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“to turn, wind, bend”). Cognate with Danish vidje (“wicker”), Swedish vidja (“withe, wicker, osier”), Icelandic við, viðja (“a withe”), Latin vītis (“vine”), Russian ветвь (vetvʹ, “branch, bough, limb”). Doublet of vice (“a type of tool, etc.”). The brickwork and chimney architecture senses may have a different etymology, see wythe.
1
A flexible, slender shoot or twig, especially when used as a band or for binding; a withy.
It was most ingeniously secured at vacant hours, by a withe twisted in the handle of the door, and stakes set against the window-shutters;[…]1810, Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow:
2
A band of twisted twigs.
They deemed it little scathe indeed / That her coarse homespun ragged weed / Fell off from her round arms and lithe / Laid on the door-post, that a withe / Of willows was her only belt; / And each as he gazed at her felt / As some gift had been given him.1870, William Morris, “December: The Fostering of Aslaug”, in The Earthly Paradise: A Poem, part IV, London: F[rederick] S[tartridge] Ellis, […], →OCLC, page 57:
3
An elastic handle to a tool to save the hand from the shock of blows.
4
Nautical, Transport An iron attachment on one end of a mast or boom, with a ring, through which another mast or boom is rigged out and secured.
Some short topgallant masts are rigged with a withe on the after part of the mast-head, through which a sliding-gunter royal-mast is run up, with its heel resting in a step on the topmast cap.1841, Richard Henry Dana, The Seaman's Friend:
[…] single withe of brick laid flat in common bond reinforced vertically by 8" piers1937, American Architect and Architecture:
[…] brick (single withe), one brick (two withes) or a brick-and-a-half thick. At the University of Virginia, Charlottesville , Thomas Jefferson demonstrated beautifully that a single withe of brick was adequate for[…]1973, Encyclopaedia Britannica:
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[…] single-withe construction using concrete masonry units with the voids on the ends[…]1994, James T. Frane, Craftsman's Illustrated Dictionary of Construction Terms, Craftsman Book Company, →ISBN, page 162:
[…] single-withe, or barrier, wall. Multiple-withe walls are also constructed, and can consist of composite brick-block walls or cavity walls.1994, Comité euro-international du béton, Fastenings to Concrete and Masonry Structures: State of the Art Report, Thomas Telford, →ISBN:
[…] single withe of fired brick or stone masonry, referred to in Turkish as[…]2001, Association for Preservation Technology, Bulletin - Association for Preservation Technology:
6
ArchitectureAlternative Alternative spelling of wythe (“partition between flues in a chimney”).
... chimney space, and the joints of any two adjoining sets of flue linings shall be offset at least 7 inches. When there are more than two flues in a chimney, each third flue shall be separated from the others by a withe or division[…]1920, National Board of Fire Underwriters. Committee on Construction of Buildings, An ordinance for construction of chimneys suitable for use in cities and towns of any size or as a state law, page 5:
... flue intended for a heating furnace or boiler connection, or for a fireplace, shall be separated from other flues by such a withe. In hollow tile chimneys the withe may be of tile.1922, Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning Guide, page 40:
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... flues should be separated by a 4-inch-wide brick spacer (withe) between them (fig. 170, A). The greater the difference in temperature between chimney gases and outside atmosphere, the better the draft.2002, L. O. Anderson, Wood - Frame House Construction, The Minerva Group, Inc., →ISBN, page 182:
From Middle English withe, withthe, from Old English wiþe, wiþþe (“cord, band, thong, fetter”), from Proto-Germanic *wiþiz, *wiþjǭ (“cord, rope”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéh₁itis (“that which twines”), from *weyt- (“that which winds or bends, branch, switch”), from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“to turn, wind, bend”). Cognate with Danish vidje (“wicker”), Swedish vidja (“withe, wicker, osier”), Icelandic við, viðja (“a withe”), Latin vītis (“vine”), Russian ветвь (vetvʹ, “branch, bough, limb”). Doublet of vice (“a type of tool, etc.”). The brickwork and chimney architecture senses may have a different etymology, see wythe.
1
To bind with withes.
As soon as the body of Deerslayer was withed in bark sufficiently to create a lively sense of helplessness, he was literally carried to a young tree, and bound against it, in a way that effectually prevented it from moving,1862, James Fenimore Cooper, The Deerslayer, page 341:
These frames are usually constructed of rough trees tightly withed and wedged together.1888, Virgil Chittenden Hart, Western China: a journey to the great Buddhist centre of Mount Omei, page 132:
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The strips are first laid on the back and two sides of the shanty, and are kept smooth and in proper position by poles laid across them and withed down to the frame.1890, Edward Augustus Samuels, With fly-rod and camera, page 184:
If it were withed by the aborigine it would have formed an effective and dangerous weapon, either in the chase of the large beasts with which he was contemporary or in war against his human enemies.1913, Newton Horace Winchell with Minnesota Historical Society, The weathering of aboriginal stone artifacts, no. 1, page 121:
2
To beat with withes.
Question. Did you hear of the circumstances of William Davis having been whipped on the 5th day of December, the day before the cutting took place? Answer Yes, sir; I did that evening, when he came home. Q. Did you examine where he had been withed? A. Yes, sir.1888 June 30, Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia., “State v. Davis.”, in The Southeastern reporter, volume 7:
"He'll trim you up for tossing Suse that note," said Am Bayne to his own companion. / "Ye-es, and you'll get a withing, too," declared the other.1901, Oren Frederic Morton, Winning or losing?: a story of the West Virginia Hills:
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After I was on they commenced withing my horse to make him go faster, but I reined him up; ... They then commenced withing me around the shoulders, saying it would have a better effect than to whip the horse.1913, Richard Nye Price, Holston Methodism, volume 4, page 494: