tither

1 of 2

noun (1)

tith·​er ˈtī-t͟hər How to pronounce tither (audio)
plural tithers
1
: one that pays tithes
2
: one that collects or advocates the payment of tithes

tither

2 of 2

noun (2)

informal
: a highly nervous, excited, or agitated state : dither
Of course it was impossible to ignore the presence of an aging white woman accompanied by a small black child. The ship was in a tither.Alice Walker

Examples of tither in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
Twitter has been in a tither since Elon Musk took over at the social network. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 16 Nov. 2022 The couple who are avid churchgoers and tithers also discussed their allocation of money and time towards church and charities. Tiyana Jordan, Essence, 6 July 2019

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English tythere, from tiþen, tythen "to tithe entry 2" + -ere -er entry 2

Noun (2)

probably variant of dither entry 2, with t- perhaps from titter entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tither was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near tither

Cite this Entry

“Tither.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tither. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

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