withersake

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withersake

/ˈwɪðə(ɹ)ˌseɪk/

Where it comes from

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”).

noun withersakes · wythersake

archaic An apostate or perfidious renegade. "Go to with thy trade," replied Father Adrian, "I know thee not but for a lying withersake; a base pilfering waster and drawlatch; a cutting ribald moss trooper, and doer of ran and rapine; a common lecher and brawler; […]
Similar: transfuge, turncoat, backstabber, betrayer, cockatrice, double-crosser, quisling, rat, ratter, recreant, renegade, serpent

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MLA

"withersake." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/withersake. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

withersake. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/withersake

Chicago

"withersake." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/withersake.

BibTeX

@misc{withersake_2026,
  title = {withersake},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/withersake},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}