withered arm
Wasted, useless appendage
A withered arm is one that has atrophied or shriveled, typically from disease, injury, or nerve damage, leaving it thin, weak, and often partially paralyzed.
The phrase appears in biblical accounts of miraculous healing and in descriptions of characters marked by physical difference: He kept his withered arm hidden beneath his cloak.
- shriveledContracted from moisture loss
- atrophiedDeclined from underuse
- muscle atrophyShrinkage from disuse
- paralyzedUnable to move voluntarily
- nerve damageInjured neural tissue
limp · useless · twisted · crippled · wasted · frail · skeletal · thin · bony · weak · dangling · deformed · scarred · sleeve · pity · injury · disability · birth defect