Withers

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Withers \With"ers\, n. pl. [Properly, the parts which resist the
     pull or strain in drawing a load; fr. OE. wither resistance,
     AS. wi[eth]re, fr. wi[eth]er against; akin to G. widerrist
     withers. See {With}, prep.]
     The ridge between the shoulder bones of a horse, at the base
     of the neck. See Illust. of {Horse}.


     [1913 Webster]
  
           Let the galled jade wince; our withers are unwrung.
                                                    --Shak.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  withers
       n 1: sensibility to trouble (as in the phrase `wring one's
            withers'); "the lawsuit was wringing his withers"; "our
            withers are unwrung"--Shakespeare
       2: the highest part of the back at the base of the neck of
          various animals especially draft animals