withers
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
withers/ˈwɪðəz/
▶plural noun the highest part of a horse's back, lying at the base of the neck above the shoulders.
– origin C16: appar. a reduced form of widersome, from obs. wither- ‘against’ (as the part that resists the strain of the collar) + a second element of obscure origin.
'withers' also found in these Oxford entries:
