withe

1. (nautical) An iron attachment on one end of a mast or boom, with a ring, through which another mast or boom is rigged out and secured.Examples: "Some short topgallant masts are rigged with a withe on the after part of the mast-head, through which a sliding-gunter royal-mast is run up, with its heel resting in a step on the topmast cap."

2. (masonry) Alternative spelling of wythe (“single section of bricks one unit thick”).Examples: "[…] single withe of brick laid flat in common bond reinforced vertically by 8" piers"; "[…] brick (single withe), one brick (two withes) or a brick-and-a-half thick. At the University of Virginia, Charlottesville , Thomas Jefferson demonstrated beautifully that a single withe of brick was adequate for[…]"; "[…] single-withe construction using concrete masonry units with the voids on the ends[…]"alt-ofalternative

3. (architecture) Alternative spelling of wythe (“partition between flues in a chimney”).Examples: "... chimney space, and the joints of any two adjoining sets of flue linings shall be offset at least 7 inches. When there are more than two flues in a chimney, each third flue shall be separated from the others by a withe or division[…]"; "... flue intended for a heating furnace or boiler connection, or for a fireplace, shall be separated from other flues by such a withe. In hollow tile chimneys the withe may be of tile."; "... flues should be separated by a 4-inch-wide brick spacer (withe) between them (fig. 170, A). The greater the difference in temperature between chimney gases and outside atmosphere, the better the draft."alt-ofalternative