All 6 Uses of
wither
in
1984, by Orwell
Uses with a meaning too rare to warrant foucs:
- A certain Comrade Withers, a prominent member of the Inner Party, had been singled out for special mention and awarded a decoration, the Order of Conspicuous Merit, Second Class.†
p. 44.5
- One could assume that Withers and his associates were now in disgrace, but there had been no report of the matter in the Press or on the telescreen.†
p. 44.7
- Winston did not know why Withers had been disgraced.†
p. 45.6
- Perhaps Withers or someone close to him had been suspected of heretical tendencies.†
p. 45.7
- The only real clue lay in the words 'refs unpersons', which indicated that Withers was already dead.†
p. 45.8 *
- Withers, however, was already an unperson.†
p. 46.1
Definitions:
-
(1)
(wither as in: wither on the vine) to shrivel (wrinkle and contract -- usually from lack of water)
-
(2)
(wither as in: her confidence withered) to become weaker--sometimes to get smaller and disappear
-
(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much less commonly, Withers can be a last name.