Standard Lemma guide
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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
verb
To speak against someone or something.
To contradict or deny.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To speak against someone or something.
To gainsay, to oppose in speech (and by extension writing).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To speak against someone or something.
To forbid, to refuse to allow, give, or permit.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To speak against someone or something.
To decline, to refuse to do or accept.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
From Middle English withseien, from Old English wiþseċġan (“to speak against; to denounce, renounce, or deny”), corresponding to with- + say. Cognate with Old Saxon witharseggian (“to object”), Low German wedderseggen (“to renounce”), German widersagen (“to renounce”), Dutch wederzeggen and weerzeggen.
