wilt

Definition

To droop or become limp and flaccid (as a dying leaf or flower).

Etymology

Recorded since 1691, probably an alteration of welk, itself from Middle English welken, presumed from Middle Dutch (preserved in modern inchoative verwelken) or Middle Low German welken (“to wither”), cognate with Old High German irwelhen (“to become soft”).

Example Sentences

• "Not only were Jupp Heynckes' team pacey in attack but they were relentless in their pursuit of the ball once they had lost it, and as the game wore on they merely increased their dominance as City wilted in the Allianz Arena."
• "Caught between hails of 5″/38 fire and working Mk 14 torpedoes, on the one hand, and 16-inch batteries backed up by even more 5″/38 guns, on the other, the Japanese cruisers rapidly began to wilt under the sustained bombardment; firing off any remaining torpedoes they had at any targets that they could find and bring to bear, the survivors wheeled about and began to beat a retreat."
• "Peer pressure on both partners, even from within the lesbian community, can help to wilt a budding intergenerational romance."