wether
9.9
A male sheep made unable to breed and kept for wool or meat
- noun
- /ˈwɛðər/
- Specialized
:
carnero
- She noticed that the wether had thick, soft fleece ready for shearing.
- wethers (castrated)
Examples
-
I am the gay 'Wether Vain'.
-
The farmer raised a healthy wether for wool production.
-
In the field, the large wether grazed peacefully alongside the flock.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Wether comes from Old English wether and means 'a castrated male sheep'. Think of a calm ram used by farmers for wool or meat — wethers were often kept to lead flocks, and that is why the word still names that particular kind of sheep today.
