Meaning & use

withe

noun·Advanced

A flexible, slender branch or twig, especially of willow, used for tying or weaving things together.

See it in a sentence

The basket maker soaked willow withes in water to make them easier to bend.

Farmers once used tough withes to bundle sheaves of wheat together.

A note on using this word

Withe is an old word still used in basketry and traditional building; it also names a masonry partition that separates two flues inside a chimney.

Words with a similar meaning

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