withersake
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Middle English withersake, from Old English wiþersaca (“adversary, enemy; betrayer; apostate”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiþrasakō, equivalent to wither- (“against”) + sake. Cognate with Middle High German widersache, Modern German Widersacher (“adversary, opponent, antagonist, foe”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
withersake (plural withersakes)
- (archaic) An apostate or perfidious renegade.
- 1822, Lee Gibbons [pseudonym of William Bennett], Malpas; Or Le Poursuivant D'Amour. A Romance, Etc[1]: