withersake
/ˈwɪðə(ɹ)ˌseɪk/
"withersake" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“withersake” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An apostate or perfidious renegade.
Corpus desk
Index EN-withersake · withersake · English
withersake · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 10 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "W" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | withersake |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈwɪðə(ɹ)ˌseɪk/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “withersake” in English
Rare enough to double-check
withersake is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈwɪðə(ɹ)ˌseɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An apostate or perfidious renegade.".
No misspelling variants are generated for withersake in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: 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 (“adver… The correct English form is withersake, spelled W-I-T-H-E-R-S-A-K-E.
Definition
- 1An apostate or perfidious renegade.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how withersake appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
"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; […]
Etymology
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”).
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.