Standard Lemma guide

withersake

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈwɪðə(ɹ)ˌseɪk/

1

noun

Meaning 1

An apostate or perfidious renegade.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: transfuge, turncoat, backstabber, betrayer, cockatrice, double-crosser, quisling, rat, ratter, recreant, renegade, serpent, snake, snake in the grass, swike, traitor, treacher, treacherer, treasonist, turntippet, withersake, wolf in sheep's clothing, apostate, balimbing, butterfly, changeling, defector, runagate, turncloak

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English withersake, from Old English wiþersaca (“adversary, enemy; betrayer; apostate”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiþrasakō, equivalent to wither- (“against”) + sake. Cognate with Middle High German widersache, Modern German Widersacher (“adversary, opponent, antagonist, foe”).