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# withers

«withers» in Mova's school dictionary: **the highest point of a horse's back, the ridge between…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (withers — plural); verb form (wither → withers)

### meaning for a pupil

1) The withers are the highest point of a horse's back, the ridge between its shoulder blades; horses are measured to the withers. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/withers/#m1)

2) «Withers» is also the form of the verb «wither»: a plant withers when it dries up and dies. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/withers/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In riding and farm life, horses and ponies are measured in «hands» from the ground to the withers (one hand = 4 inches, about 10 cm). In science, a plant that withers is drying out. In stories, «withers» (verb) describes plants, hope or old age fading. Phrases: «height at the withers», «withers away».

### examples

- The pony is 13 hands high at the withers. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/withers/#x1)
- The saddle should not press on the horse's withers. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/withers/#x2)
- The vet felt the withers of the horse to check for pain. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/withers/#x3)
- Without rain, the grass withers and turns brown. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/withers/#x4)
- A flower withers if you leave it out of water. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/withers/#x5)
- My pony is 12 hands at the withers, so 12 × 4 = 48 inches tall. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/withers/#x6)

### note

Horse sense: plural only, «the withers». Maths: horse height in hands — 1 hand = 4 inches; a pony of 14.2 hands is 14 × 4 + 2 = 58 inches (the number after the dot is inches, not tenths). Verb: wither, withers, withered, withering.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «withers» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/withers/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.