Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lither

/ˈlɪðɚ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
lith-er
IPA
/ˈlɪðɚ/
9
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Lazy, slothful; listless.

British usage; Archaic

adj

Flexible, supple; also, agile, lithe.

British usage; Archaic

adj

Bad, evil; false.

Obsolete

adj

In poor physical condition.

Obsolete

adj

comparative form of lithe: more lithe

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English lither, lyther (“deceitful; evil; false; treacherous; sinful, wicked; leading to cruelty, injustice, or wickedness, perverted; of a country: filled with wicked people; cruel, fierce; dangerous, deadly; frightening; grievous, painful; harmful, injurious; miserable, paltry, poor, worthless; feeble, sluggish; cowardly”) [and other forms], from Old English lȳþre (“bad, wicked; base, mean, wretched; corrupt”) [and other forms], from Proto-Germanic *lūþrijaz (“bad; dissolute; neglected; useless”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lew- (“limp, slack”). Sense 1.2 (“flexible, supple; agile, lithe”) is influenced by lithe. Cognates Dutch lodder (“wanton person”), loddering (“drowsy; trifling; wanton”) German liederlich (“dissolute”), German lotterig (“slovenly”), lüderlich (“slovenly”) Old English loþrung (“delusion, rubbish, nonsense”), loddere (“beggar”)

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *(s)lew-, lither, lȳþre, *lūþrijaz

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈlɪðɚ/
  • British English: /ˈlɪðə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more lither (comparative) most lither (superlative) lidder (alternative)

Derived Forms

lidderon litherback litherlurden litherly litherness litherous

Phrases

lither lurden

Synonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce lither?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlɪðɚ/.
What does lither mean?
Lazy, slothful; listless.
Where does lither come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce lither

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lither”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈlɪðɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “lither”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “lither” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.