A prefix or combining element derived from OE appearing in four verbs and five participles or adjectives. The most common meaning is ‘in opposition, against’ (in the verbs witherholden, witherthreten, witherwinnen, the participle witherwendand, the adjectives wiðercorene, wiðerræde, along with the derived noun wiðerrædnisse). Other meanings are ‘in the opposite direction, back’ (witherturned ppl.), ‘counter’ (witherweȝen v.), and prob. ‘barbed’ (witherhoked ppl.). In OE wiþer- pref. is also used with nouns, and a few of them continue into ME (wiðer-cora, wiðer-sake, and wither-win(e), but they, along with others formed in ME, are more appropriately considered as combs. with OE wiþer adj./ME wither adj.