English word origin

Etymology of wilt

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 Hi

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

The act of wilting or the state of being wilted. · Any of various plant diseases characterized by wilting.

verb

To droop or become limp and flaccid (as a dying leaf or flower). · To fatigue; to lose strength; to flag. · To cause to droop or become limp and flaccid (as a flower). · To cause to fatigue; to exhaust.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionwelkenenm
Derivation mentionwelkengml · to wither
Cognate mentionirwelhengoh · to become soft

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "welken"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English welken"
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dum",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gml",
        "3": "welken",
        "t": "to wither"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German welken (“to wither”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "goh",
        "2": "irwelhen",
        "t": "to become soft"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German irwelhen (“to become soft”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "welk",
      "welk#English"
    ],
    [
      "welken",
      "welken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "verwelken",
      "verwelken#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "welken",
      "welken#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "irwelhen",
      "irwelhen#Old_High_German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The act of wilting or the state of being wilted.",
        "Any of various plant diseases characterized by wilting."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "59df18313cc22c2b0b5960b7ea505aa9a625cfedc709ad8c0c79f7bd1f75d645",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 283800
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To droop or become limp and flaccid (as a dying leaf or flower).",
        "To fatigue; to lose strength; to flag.",
        "To cause to droop or become limp and flaccid (as a flower).",
        "To cause to fatigue; to exhaust."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "7fb66ed3908b6e6ca7271f915776ebe5185d3c21e583f6228ce41e290cbe2fc0",
      "rawRecordSha256": "32293a4aa1d259d9f5a55b554074ef5d98542db4401e56276b669562e63b8ab5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 283799
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

second-person singular simple present indicative of will

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English wilt, from Old English wilt, from Proto-West Germanic *wilt, second person singular preterite-present of Proto-West Germanic *willjan. Cognate with Dutch wilt (“wilt”, second-person singular of willen), German willt (archaic second person singular indicative of wollen).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionwiltenm
Inherited-form mentionwiltang
Inherited-form mention*wiltgmw-pro
Derivation mention*willjangmw-pro
Cognate mentionwiltnl · wilt
Cognate mentionwilltde

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "wilt"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English wilt"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "wilt"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English wilt"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*wilt"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *wilt"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*willjan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *willjan"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "wilt",
        "t": "wilt",
        "pos": "second-person singular of willen"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch wilt (“wilt”, second-person singular of willen)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "willt",
        "pos": "archaic second person singular indicative of wollen"
      },
      "expansion": "German willt (archaic second person singular indicative of wollen)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "wilt",
      "wilt#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "wilt",
      "wilt#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*wilt",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/wilt"
    ],
    [
      "*willjan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/willjan"
    ],
    [
      "wilt",
      "wilt#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "willen",
      "willen#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "willt",
      "willt#German"
    ],
    [
      "wollen",
      "wollen#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "second-person singular simple present indicative of will"
      ],
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        "archaic",
        "form-of",
        "indicative",
        "present",
        "second-person",
        "singular"
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for wilt →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-d2lsdA