withers
noun /ˈwɪðəz/
/ˈwɪðərz/
[plural]- the highest part of a horse’s back, between its shouldersTopics Animalsc2Word Originearly 16th cent.: apparently a reduced form of widersome, from obsolete wither- ‘against, contrary’ (as the part that resists the strain of the collar) + a second element of obscure origin.