wilt

[ wilt ]

/ wɪlt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR wilt ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to become limp and drooping, as a fading flower; wither.

to lose strength, vigor, assurance, etc.: to wilt after a day's hard work.

verb (used with object)

to cause to wilt.

noun Also wilt disease (for defs 5b, 6).

the act of wilting, or the state of being wilted: a sudden wilt of interest in the discussion.

Plant Pathology.

the drying out, drooping, and withering of the leaves of a plant due to inadequate water supply, excessive transpiration, or vascular disease.
a disease so characterized, as fusarium wilt.

a virus disease of various caterpillars, characterized by the liquefaction of body tissues.

Origin of wilt

1685–95; dialectal variant of wilk to wither, itself variant of welk, Middle English welken, probably < Middle Dutch welken; compare German welk withered

SYNONYMS FOR wilt

2 wane, droop; ebb, weaken.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR wilt ON THESAURUS.COM

Words nearby wilt

wilson's warbler, wilson, woodrow, wilson-mikity syndrome, wilsonian, wilsonism, wilt, wilton, wilton house, wilton manor, wilts, wiltshire

Definition for wilt (2 of 4)

wilt ²

[ wilt ]

/ wɪlt /

verb Archaic.

second person singular present ind. of will¹.

Definition for wilt (3 of 4)

will ¹

[ wil ]

/ wɪl /

auxiliary verb, present singular 1st person will, 2nd will or (Archaic) wilt, 3rd will, present plural will; past singular 1st person would, 2nd would or (Archaic) wouldst, 3rd would, past plural would; past participle (Obsolete) wold or would; imperative, infinitive, and present participle lacking.

am (is, are, etc.) about or going to: I will be there tomorrow. She will see you at dinner.

am (is, are, etc.) disposed or willing to: People will do right.

am (is, are, etc.) expected or required to: You will report to the principal at once.

may be expected or supposed to: You will not have forgotten him. This will be right.

am (is, are, etc.) determined or sure to (used emphatically): You would do it. People will talk.

am (is, are, etc.) accustomed to, or do usually or often: You will often see her sitting there. He would write for hours at a time.

am (is, are, etc.) habitually disposed or inclined to: Boys will be boys. After dinner they would read aloud.

am (is, are, etc.) capable of; can: This tree will live without water for three months.

am (is, are, etc.) going to: I will bid you “Good night.”

verb (used with or without object), present singular 1st person will, 2nd will or (Archaic) wilt, 3rd will, present plural will; past singular 1st person would, 2nd would or (Archaic) wouldst, 3rd would, past plural would; past participle (Obsolete) wold or would; imperative, infinitive, and present participle lacking.

to wish; desire; like: Go where you will. Ask, if you will, who the owner is.

Origin of will

before 900; Middle English willen, Old English wyllan; cognate with Dutch willen, German wollen, Old Norse vilja, Gothic wiljan; akin to Latin velle to wish

usage note for will

See shall.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH will

can may shall will (see usage note at can¹) (see usage note at shall)

Definition for wilt (4 of 4)

will ²

[ wil ]

/ wɪl /

noun

the faculty of conscious and especially of deliberate action; the power of control the mind has over its own actions: the freedom of the will.

power of choosing one's own actions: to have a strong or a weak will.

the act or process of using or asserting one's choice; volition: My hands are obedient to my will.

wish or desire: to submit against one's will.

purpose or determination, often hearty or stubborn determination; willfulness: to have the will to succeed.

the wish or purpose as carried out, or to be carried out: to work one's will.

disposition, whether good or ill, toward another.

Law.

a legal declaration of a person's wishes as to the disposition of his or her property or estate after death, usually written and signed by the testator and attested by witnesses.
the document containing such a declaration.

verb (used with object), willed, will·ing.

to decide, bring about, or attempt to effect or bring about by an act of the will: He can walk if he wills it.

to purpose, determine on, or elect, by an act of will: If he wills success, he can find it.

to give or dispose of (property) by a will or testament; bequeath or devise.

to influence by exerting control over someone's impulses and actions: She was willed to walk the tightrope by the hypnotist.

verb (used without object), willed, will·ing.

to exercise the will: To will is not enough, one must do.

to decide or determine: Others debate, but the king wills.

Origin of will

before 900; (noun) Middle English will(e), Old English will(a); cognate with Dutch wil, German Wille, Old Norse vili, Gothic wilja; (v.) Middle English willen, Old English willian to wish, desire, derivative of the noun; akin to will¹

SYNONYMS FOR will

3 choice.

4 pleasure, disposition, inclination.

5 resolution, decision. Will, volition refer to conscious choice as to action or thought. Will denotes fixed and persistent intent or purpose: Where there's a will there's a way. Volition is the power of forming an intention or the incentive for using the will: to exercise one's volition in making a decision.

9 determine.

11 leave.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR will ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM will

will·er, noun

Example sentences from the Web for wilt

Wilt Chamberlain once pointed out that “nobody loves Goliath,” as an excuse for his enduring unpopularity.

Shaq, Year One |Charles P. Pierce |May 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
They have to have the courage not to wilt or get the vapors whenever a right-winger invokes the evil gummint or the hated Kenyan.

Show Me the Medicaid Money |Michael Tomasky |February 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But the two young girls, Thornton and Wilt, never seemed to lose energy.

The House of Shock Is Terrifying Its Guests and Causing Controversy—and the Zombies Who Run the Show Are Loving It |Tyler Gillespie |October 25, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
At the foot of the adjacent 4-foot high gravestones are floral arrangements that are just starting to wilt.

Mary Kennedy: Bringing Up the Body |Paula Froelich |July 26, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

And I do agree with him on Wilt Chamberlain, whom we will discuss at length in the future.

How Robert Nozick Turned on Robert Nozick |Michael Tomasky |May 22, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Wilt thou never cease to waste thy force and energies in intestine struggles?

The Paris Sketch Book of Mr. M. A. Titmarsh |William Makepeace Thackeray
Well, wilt thou break my neck to-day because I said Venetian half-devil to thee?

Children of the Soil |Henryk Sienkiewicz
Their leader is God and the king; and wilt thou learn them another lesson?

Long Will |Florence Converse
But if thou knowest him, my jolly blade, wilt thou go with me and bring me to him?

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood |Howard Pyle
Say, wilt thou bear me to another land Where thou hast other lovers?

Helen of Troy |Andrew Lang

British Dictionary definitions for wilt (1 of 4)

wilt ¹

/ (wɪlt) /

verb

to become or cause to become limp, flaccid, or drooping insufficient water makes plants wilt

to lose or cause to lose courage, strength, etc

(tr) to cook (a leafy vegetable) very briefly until it begins to collapse

noun

the act of wilting or state of becoming wilted

any of various plant diseases characterized by permanent wilting, usually caused by fungal parasites attacking the roots

Word Origin for wilt

C17: perhaps variant of wilk to wither, from Middle Dutch welken

British Dictionary definitions for wilt (2 of 4)

wilt ²

/ (wɪlt) /

verb

archaic, or dialect (used with the pronoun thou or its relative equivalent) a singular form of the present tense (indicative mood) of will 1

British Dictionary definitions for wilt (3 of 4)

will ¹

/ (wɪl) /

verb past would (takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive)

(esp with you, he, she, it, they, or a noun as subject) used as an auxiliary to make the future tense Compare shall (def. 1)

used as an auxiliary to express resolution on the part of the speaker I will buy that radio if it's the last thing I do

used as an auxiliary to indicate willingness or desire will you help me with this problem?

used as an auxiliary to express compulsion, as in commands you will report your findings to me tomorrow

used as an auxiliary to express capacity or ability this rope will support a load

used as an auxiliary to express probability or expectation on the part of the speaker that will be Jim telephoning

used as an auxiliary to express customary practice or inevitability boys will be boys

(with the infinitive always implied) used as an auxiliary to express desire: usually in polite requests stay if you will

what you will whatever you like

will do informal a declaration of willingness to do what is requested

Word Origin for will

Old English willan; related to Old Saxon willian, Old Norse vilja, Old High German wollen, Latin velle to wish, will

undefined will

See shall

British Dictionary definitions for wilt (4 of 4)

will ²

/ (wɪl) /

noun

the faculty of conscious and deliberate choice of action; volition Related adjectives: voluntary, volitive

the act or an instance of asserting a choice

the declaration of a person's wishes regarding the disposal of his or her property after deathRelated adjective: testamentary
a revocable instrument by which such wishes are expressed

anything decided upon or chosen, esp by a person in authority; desire; wish

determined intention where there's a will there's a way

disposition or attitude towards others he bears you no ill will

at will at one's own desire, inclination, or choice

with a will heartily; energetically

with the best will in the world even with the best of intentions

verb (mainly tr; often takes a clause as object or an infinitive)

(also intr) to exercise the faculty of volition in an attempt to accomplish (something) he willed his wife's recovery from her illness

to give (property) by will to a person, society, etc he willed his art collection to the nation

(also intr) to order or decree the king wills that you shall die

to choose or prefer wander where you will

to yearn for or desire to will that one's friends be happy

Derived forms of will

willer, noun

Word Origin for will

Old English willa; related to Old Norse vili, Old High German willeo (German Wille), Gothic wilja, Old Slavonic volja

Idioms and Phrases with wilt

will

In addition to the idiom beginning with will

will not hear of

also see:

against one's will
at will
boys will be boys
heads (will) roll
murder will out
of one's own accord (free will)
shit will hit the fan
that will do
time will tell
truth will out
when the cat's away, mice will play
where there's a will
with a will
with the best will in the world
wonders will never cease

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

wilt

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun Also wilt disease (for defs 5b, 6).

Origin of wilt

SYNONYMS FOR wilt

Words nearby wilt

Definition for wilt (2 of 4)

verb Archaic.

Definition for wilt (3 of 4)

auxiliary verb, present singular 1st person will, 2nd will or (Archaic) wilt, 3rd will, present plural will; past singular 1st person would, 2nd would or (Archaic) wouldst, 3rd would, past plural would; past participle (Obsolete) wold or would; imperative, infinitive, and present participle lacking.

Origin of will

usage note for will

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH will

Definition for wilt (4 of 4)

noun

verb (used with object), willed, will·ing.

verb (used without object), willed, will·ing.

Origin of will

SYNONYMS FOR will

OTHER WORDS FROM will

Example sentences from the Web for wilt

British Dictionary definitions for wilt (1 of 4)

verb

noun

Word Origin for wilt

British Dictionary definitions for wilt (2 of 4)

verb

British Dictionary definitions for wilt (3 of 4)

verb past would (takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive)

Word Origin for will

undefined will

British Dictionary definitions for wilt (4 of 4)

noun

verb (mainly tr; often takes a clause as object or an infinitive)

Derived forms of will

Word Origin for will

Idioms and Phrases with wilt

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

wilt

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun Also wilt disease (for defs 5b, 6).

Origin of wilt

SYNONYMS FOR wilt

Words nearby wilt

Definition for wilt (2 of 4)

verb Archaic.

Definition for wilt (3 of 4)

Origin of will

usage note for will

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH will

Definition for wilt (4 of 4)

noun

verb (used with object), willed, will·ing.

verb (used without object), willed, will·ing.

Origin of will

SYNONYMS FOR will

OTHER WORDS FROM will

Words related to wilt

Example sentences from the Web for wilt

British Dictionary definitions for wilt (1 of 4)

verb

noun

Word Origin for wilt

British Dictionary definitions for wilt (2 of 4)

verb

British Dictionary definitions for wilt (3 of 4)

verb past would (takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive)

Word Origin for will

undefined will

British Dictionary definitions for wilt (4 of 4)

noun

verb (mainly tr; often takes a clause as object or an infinitive)

Derived forms of will

Word Origin for will

Idioms and Phrases with wilt