wilt

¹

[ wilt ]

verb (used without object)

1. to become limp and drooping, as a fading flower; wither.
2. to lose strength, vigor, assurance, etc.:

   to wilt after a day's hard work.

   Synonyms: weaken, ebb, droop, wane

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to wilt.

noun

1. the act of wilting, or the state of being wilted:

   a sudden wilt of interest in the discussion.

2. Plant Pathology.
   1. the drying out, drooping, and withering of the leaves of a plant due to inadequate water supply, excessive transpiration, or vascular disease.
   2. a disease so characterized, as fusarium wilt.
3. a virus disease of various caterpillars, characterized by the liquefaction of body tissues.

wilt

²

[ wilt ]

verb

, Archaic.

1. second person singular present indicative of will ¹.

wilt

¹

/ wɪlt /

verb

1. to become or cause to become limp, flaccid, or drooping

   insufficient water makes plants wilt

2. to lose or cause to lose courage, strength, etc
3. tr to cook (a leafy vegetable) very briefly until it begins to collapse

noun

1. the act of wilting or state of becoming wilted
2. any of various plant diseases characterized by permanent wilting, usually caused by fungal parasites attacking the roots

wilt

²

/ wɪlt /

verb

1. archaic.
   used with the pronounthou or its relative equivalent a singular form of the present tense (indicative mood) of will 1

Word History and Origins

Origin of wilt¹

First recorded in 1685–95; dialectal variant of wilk “to wither,” itself variant of welk, Middle English welken, probably from Middle Dutch welken; compare German welk “withered”

Word History and Origins

Origin of wilt¹

C17: perhaps variant of wilk to wither, from Middle Dutch welken

Example Sentences

In the back are fruits and veggies that no longer look perfect: mushy papayas, wilting spinach and bruised tomatoes.

From Los Angeles Times

In the end, we got plenty of tears, as she appeared to repeatedly wilt under probing questioning, but few concrete answers.

From BBC

A suspect substitution is not the only problem to fix if England are to prevent their autumn wilting early.

From BBC

Initially it looked like it was the hosts who would wilt with the Chiefs making a flying start, Feyi-Waboso finishing off a sweeping left to right move in the corner after just four minutes.

From BBC

It was beginning to wilt, and the water around it was getting hot.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cave in
• diminish
• droop
• dwindle
• ebb
• fade
• faint
• melt
• shrivel
• succumb
• wane
• wither