Both Uses of
wither
in
Young Goodman Brown
- The moment his fingers touched them they became strangely withered and dried up as with a week's sunshine.
*withered = shriveled (wrinkled)
- The traveller put forth his staff and touched her withered neck with what seemed the serpent's tail.†
Definitions:
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(1)
(wither as in: wither on the vine) to shrivel (wrinkle and contract -- usually from lack of water)
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(2)
(wither as in: her confidence withered) to become weaker--sometimes to get smaller and disappear
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(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) Much less commonly, Withers can be a last name.