Word Usage – Meaning of ‘Wither’ in Context: ‘Wings Sprouted from Each Wither’

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Wings sprouted from each wither – vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I think wither is used as a noun word. But I can't find it's a noun in dictionaries. The only one I get is "withers" means "the highest part of a horse’s back, above its shoulders". Does this use of wither mean the same as withers?

Best Answer

The author used the singular form of withers:

Withers: (veterinary medicine) The part of the back of a four-legged animal that is between the shoulder blades; in many species the highest point of the body and the standard place to measure the animal's height.

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The meaning is "wings sprouted from the withers of each horse", or "wings sprouted from each horse's back".

Formally, withers can only be used in the plural, but I guess that the author has used her writer's license to "invent" singular wither.

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