tither

From Middle English tither; equivalent to tithe +‎ -er.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtaɪðə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtaɪðɚ/
• Rhymes: -aɪðə(ɹ)

tither (plural tithers)

1. One who collects tithes.
2. One who pays tithes.

• “tither”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “tither”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Probably a variant of dither, pronunciation perhaps influenced by titter.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtɪðə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtɪðɚ/
• Rhymes: -ɪðə(ɹ)

tither

1. a very anxious, excited, or distressed state

   Synonyms: dither, fuss, tizzy

   • 1988, Stephen King, chapter 4, in The Dark Half‎^[1], page 61:

     You know, in the story of the Good Samaritan. So I was in a little bit of a tither about it. But I said to myself —

• hitter, tireth, trieth

• tithar, tyther, tythere

From tithe +‎ -ere (suffix forming agent nouns).

• IPA^(key): /ˈtiːðər(ə)/

tither (plural tithers)

1. tither (a payer of tithes)

• English: tither

• “tīther(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

From Old French tirer (“to draw, pull out with great effort, snatch violently, tear away”), of uncertain origin; possibly from Gothic *𐍄𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (*tiran, “to tear away, remove”), from Proto-Germanic *teraną (“to tear, tear apart”), from Proto-Indo-European *derə- (“to tear, tear apart”). If derived from the Germanic word, cognate with Gothic 𐌳𐌹𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (distairan, “to tear apart”), 𐌲𐌰𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (gatairan, “to tear down, remove”), German zerren (“to tug”). Alternatively from a reduction of Old French martirier, from Late Latin *martyrāre.

tither (gerund tith'thie)

1. (Jersey) to pull
2. (Jersey) to shoot

• pousser (“to push”)