“Wither” meaning in this context: “Wings sprouted from each wither - vast, black leathery wings”
Wings sprouted from each wither - vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I think wither is used as a noun word. But I can't find it's a noun in dictionaries. The only one I get is "withers" means "the highest part of a horse’s back, above its shoulders". Does this use of wither mean the same as withers?
word-usage word-meaning
edited 37 mins ago
CowperKettle
28.6k1089168
asked 3 hours ago
dandan
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add a comment |
Wings sprouted from each wither - vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I think wither is used as a noun word. But I can't find it's a noun in dictionaries. The only one I get is "withers" means "the highest part of a horse’s back, above its shoulders". Does this use of wither mean the same as withers?
word-usage word-meaning
edited 37 mins ago
CowperKettle
28.6k1089168
asked 3 hours ago
dandan
4,97122672
2
It's possible the author was unfamiliar with equine terms and assumed a singular form was available, one on each side of the horse.
– Tᴚoɯɐuo
1 hour ago
add a comment |
Wings sprouted from each wither - vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I think wither is used as a noun word. But I can't find it's a noun in dictionaries. The only one I get is "withers" means "the highest part of a horse’s back, above its shoulders". Does this use of wither mean the same as withers?
word-usage word-meaning
edited 37 mins ago
CowperKettle
28.6k1089168
asked 3 hours ago
dandan
4,97122672
Wings sprouted from each wither - vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I think wither is used as a noun word. But I can't find it's a noun in dictionaries. The only one I get is "withers" means "the highest part of a horse’s back, above its shoulders". Does this use of wither mean the same as withers?
word-usage word-meaning
word-usage word-meaning
edited 37 mins ago
CowperKettle
28.6k1089168
asked 3 hours ago
dandan
4,97122672
edited 37 mins ago
CowperKettle
28.6k1089168
asked 3 hours ago
dandan
4,97122672
edited 37 mins ago
CowperKettle
28.6k1089168
edited 37 mins ago
CowperKettle
28.6k1089168
edited 37 mins ago
CowperKettle
28.6k1089168
28.6k1089168
asked 3 hours ago
dandan
4,97122672
asked 3 hours ago
dandan
4,97122672
asked 3 hours ago
dandan
4,97122672
4,97122672
2
It's possible the author was unfamiliar with equine terms and assumed a singular form was available, one on each side of the horse.
– Tᴚoɯɐuo
1 hour ago
add a comment |
2
It's possible the author was unfamiliar with equine terms and assumed a singular form was available, one on each side of the horse.
– Tᴚoɯɐuo
1 hour ago
2
2
It's possible the author was unfamiliar with equine terms and assumed a singular form was available, one on each side of the horse.
– Tᴚoɯɐuo
1 hour ago
It's possible the author was unfamiliar with equine terms and assumed a singular form was available, one on each side of the horse.
– Tᴚoɯɐuo
1 hour ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
The author used the singular form of withers:
Withers: (veterinary medicine) The part of the back of a four-legged animal that is between the shoulder blades; in many species the highest point of the body and the standard place to measure the animal's height.
The meaning is "wings sprouted from the weathers of each horse", or "wings sprouted from each horse's back".
Formally, withers can only be used in the plural, but I guess that the author has used her writer's license to "invent" singular wither.
answered 3 hours ago
CowperKettleCowperKettle
28.6k1089168
But dictionaries don't suggest it can be used as a singular, do they?
– dan
3 hours ago
@dan - yes, exactly. The author has used her writer's license to "invent" singular wither to use it as a synecdoche for horse.
– CowperKettle
3 hours ago
6
I don't think it's a synecdoche for horse. It could be simply a singular form of "withers" there.
– dan
3 hours ago
1
I agree with @dan. There is only one beast involved here, with two withers.
– TonyK
1 hour ago
Ah! I see. I did not read the text closely enough. I thought it refered to multiple horses.
– CowperKettle
1 hour ago
add a comment |
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1 Answer
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The author used the singular form of withers:
Withers: (veterinary medicine) The part of the back of a four-legged animal that is between the shoulder blades; in many species the highest point of the body and the standard place to measure the animal's height.
The meaning is "wings sprouted from the weathers of each horse", or "wings sprouted from each horse's back".
Formally, withers can only be used in the plural, but I guess that the author has used her writer's license to "invent" singular wither.
answered 3 hours ago
CowperKettleCowperKettle
28.6k1089168
But dictionaries don't suggest it can be used as a singular, do they?
– dan
3 hours ago
@dan - yes, exactly. The author has used her writer's license to "invent" singular wither to use it as a synecdoche for horse.
– CowperKettle
3 hours ago
6
I don't think it's a synecdoche for horse. It could be simply a singular form of "withers" there.
– dan
3 hours ago
1
I agree with @dan. There is only one beast involved here, with two withers.
– TonyK
1 hour ago
Ah! I see. I did not read the text closely enough. I thought it refered to multiple horses.
– CowperKettle
1 hour ago
add a comment |
The author used the singular form of withers:
Withers: (veterinary medicine) The part of the back of a four-legged animal that is between the shoulder blades; in many species the highest point of the body and the standard place to measure the animal's height.
The meaning is "wings sprouted from the weathers of each horse", or "wings sprouted from each horse's back".
Formally, withers can only be used in the plural, but I guess that the author has used her writer's license to "invent" singular wither.
answered 3 hours ago
CowperKettleCowperKettle
28.6k1089168
But dictionaries don't suggest it can be used as a singular, do they?
– dan
3 hours ago
@dan - yes, exactly. The author has used her writer's license to "invent" singular wither to use it as a synecdoche for horse.
– CowperKettle
3 hours ago
6
I don't think it's a synecdoche for horse. It could be simply a singular form of "withers" there.
– dan
3 hours ago
1
I agree with @dan. There is only one beast involved here, with two withers.
– TonyK
1 hour ago
Ah! I see. I did not read the text closely enough. I thought it refered to multiple horses.
– CowperKettle
1 hour ago
add a comment |
The author used the singular form of withers:
Withers: (veterinary medicine) The part of the back of a four-legged animal that is between the shoulder blades; in many species the highest point of the body and the standard place to measure the animal's height.
The meaning is "wings sprouted from the weathers of each horse", or "wings sprouted from each horse's back".
Formally, withers can only be used in the plural, but I guess that the author has used her writer's license to "invent" singular wither.
answered 3 hours ago
CowperKettleCowperKettle
28.6k1089168
The author used the singular form of withers:
Withers: (veterinary medicine) The part of the back of a four-legged animal that is between the shoulder blades; in many species the highest point of the body and the standard place to measure the animal's height.
The meaning is "wings sprouted from the weathers of each horse", or "wings sprouted from each horse's back".
Formally, withers can only be used in the plural, but I guess that the author has used her writer's license to "invent" singular wither.
answered 3 hours ago
CowperKettleCowperKettle
28.6k1089168
edited 1 hour ago
answered 3 hours ago
CowperKettleCowperKettle
28.6k1089168
answered 3 hours ago
CowperKettleCowperKettle
28.6k1089168
answered 3 hours ago
CowperKettleCowperKettle
28.6k1089168
28.6k1089168
But dictionaries don't suggest it can be used as a singular, do they?
– dan
3 hours ago
@dan - yes, exactly. The author has used her writer's license to "invent" singular wither to use it as a synecdoche for horse.
– CowperKettle
3 hours ago
6
I don't think it's a synecdoche for horse. It could be simply a singular form of "withers" there.
– dan
3 hours ago
1
I agree with @dan. There is only one beast involved here, with two withers.
– TonyK
1 hour ago
Ah! I see. I did not read the text closely enough. I thought it refered to multiple horses.
– CowperKettle
1 hour ago
add a comment |
But dictionaries don't suggest it can be used as a singular, do they?
– dan
3 hours ago
@dan - yes, exactly. The author has used her writer's license to "invent" singular wither to use it as a synecdoche for horse.
– CowperKettle
3 hours ago
6
I don't think it's a synecdoche for horse. It could be simply a singular form of "withers" there.
– dan
3 hours ago
1
I agree with @dan. There is only one beast involved here, with two withers.
– TonyK
1 hour ago
Ah! I see. I did not read the text closely enough. I thought it refered to multiple horses.
– CowperKettle
1 hour ago
But dictionaries don't suggest it can be used as a singular, do they?
– dan
3 hours ago
But dictionaries don't suggest it can be used as a singular, do they?
– dan
3 hours ago
@dan - yes, exactly. The author has used her writer's license to "invent" singular wither to use it as a synecdoche for horse.
– CowperKettle
3 hours ago
@dan - yes, exactly. The author has used her writer's license to "invent" singular wither to use it as a synecdoche for horse.
– CowperKettle
3 hours ago
6
6
I don't think it's a synecdoche for horse. It could be simply a singular form of "withers" there.
– dan
3 hours ago
I don't think it's a synecdoche for horse. It could be simply a singular form of "withers" there.
– dan
3 hours ago
1
1
I agree with @dan. There is only one beast involved here, with two withers.
– TonyK
1 hour ago
I agree with @dan. There is only one beast involved here, with two withers.
– TonyK
1 hour ago
Ah! I see. I did not read the text closely enough. I thought it refered to multiple horses.
– CowperKettle
1 hour ago
Ah! I see. I did not read the text closely enough. I thought it refered to multiple horses.
– CowperKettle
1 hour ago
add a comment |
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2
It's possible the author was unfamiliar with equine terms and assumed a singular form was available, one on each side of the horse.
– Tᴚoɯɐuo
1 hour ago