| 释义 |
wherefore, wherefor, adv. (n.)|ˈhwɛəfə(r)|, |hwɛəˈfɔː(r)|
Forms: α. 2–3 hwarfore, 3 waruore, quor-fore, 4 quar-fore, quer-fore, huervore, werfore, 4–5 warfore, 4–7 wherfore, 5 wharfore, wher-ffore, qw(h)erf(f)ore, Sc. qwharfore, 5–6 Sc. quharfore, 6 Sc. quhairfore. β. 3 werefore, ware uore, 4 warefore, where-fore, 5 wharefore, qwereffore, Sc. quharefore, 6 Sc. quherefore, 5– wherefore. γ. 4 wharfor, quarfor, querfor, 4–5 warfor, 4–6 Sc. quharfor, 5 werfor, qwer for, 5–6 wherf(f)or, 6 Sc. qwarfor, quhairfoir, 6–8 Sc. quhairfor, 7 Sc. quherfoer. δ. 4 quere-for, 6, 9 wherefor.
[f. where 15 + for prep. Cf. Du. waarvoor, ON. hvar fyrir, MSw. hvarfore, Sw. varfor, Da. hvorfor, G. wofür. For the spellings cf. therefore.]
I. Interrogative uses.
For the dependent or indirect interrogative use, and its distinction from the relative, cf. what A. I.**
1. For what? esp. for what purpose or end? (Often scarcely distinguishable from 2.)
c1200Vices & Virtues 45 Þu finst feawe ðe wile ȝiuen ðe ani þing, bute hie witen hwarfore. a1300Cursor M. 1296 Seth þen sette him spell o-nend And tald him warfor þat he was send. 13..Ibid. 1734 (Gött.), He teld þat resun to mani a man, Quarfor he suilk a schip bigan. 1476Stonor Papers (Camden) II. 12 (MS.) I vnderstonde there schalle be a gret Counsell, whereffore I wat nere. 1555in Feuillerat Revels Q. Mary (1914) 199 As herunder the partyes names and somes of monye due and wherfore perticlerly ensue. 1590Shakes. Com. Err. iii. i. 40 E. Ant... Open the dore. S. Dro. Right sir, Ile tell you when, and you'll tell me wherefore. Ant. Wherefore? for my dinner. 1593― Rich. II, ii. iii. 122 Wherefore was I borne? 1667Milton P.L. iv. 657 But wherfore all night long shine these..? 1846A. Marsh Fr. Darcy xxix, Here I am—wherefore come, I have to learn.
2. For what cause or reason? on what account? why? (Freq. with ellipsis; often coupled with why for emphasis.)
c1230Hali Meid. 15 Þe feondes flan fleoð awei aȝain on him seluen, and loke hwarfore. c1250Gen. & Ex. 1632 Iacob calde ðat stede betel; Quor-fore he it dede, he wiste wel. c1325Metr. Hom. 31 His felau thoht herof ferly, And asked him quarfor and qui. 1423Jas. I Kingis Q. ii, As I lay In bed allone waking,..Fell me to mynd of many diuerse thing, Off this and that; can I noght say quharfore. 1535Coverdale 2 Sam. xii. 23 Now that it is deed, wherfore shulde I fast? 1585Jas. I Ess. Poesie (Arb.) 54 Ze may maruell paraventure, quhairfore I sould haue writtin in that mater. 1663Butler Hud. i. i. 8 Whose honesty they all durst swear for, Though not a man of them knew wherefore. 1781Cowper Truth 12 Hard lot of man—to toil for the reward Of virtue, and yet lose it! Wherefore hard? 1809Malkin Gil Blas x. ix. (Rtldg.) 362 You..ran away..without leaving me word why or wherefore. 1853Dickens Bleak Ho. xx, If he be ever asked how, why, when, or wherefore, he shuts up one eye and shakes his head. 1873Longfellow Michael Ang. i. iv, But wherefore should I jest?
II. Relative uses.
3. For which. Now distinguished by stress and spelling (whereˈfor).
† without anything wherefore, without a return or equivalent; † to do wherefore, to make a return, give an equivalent.
1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 7526 Willam hit sende hire vaire inou wiþoute eny þing ware uore. 1377[see whereby 2]. a1400in Engl. Gilds (1870) 353 No wollemongere..ne may habbe no stal in þe heye-stret of Wynchestre bote he do war-fore. c1400Rule St. Benet (prose) 27/22 Þa þat serue sal ta yeme til þam þat etes, þat tay haue na defaute of þat tay sal haue, wharfore þai make na noise. 1530Tindale Answ. More iii. i. Wks. (1573) 304/1 That we be bounde to beleue the church in thinges, wherefore they haue no scripture. 1551Crowley Pleas. & Payne 62, I..gaue you that wherefore ye sought. 1599Shakes. Hen. V, v. ii. 1 Peace to this meeting, wherefore we are met. 1913Act 3 & 4 Geo. V c. 20 §118 (1) (d) All sums (not exceeding..one hundred pounds) due in respect of compensation under the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1906, the liability wherefor accrued before the said date.
4. On account of or because of which; in consequence or as a result of which. Chiefly with n. (esp. reason or cause) as antecedent. arch.
c1250Kent. Serm. in O.E. Misc. 28 Gode werkes þet bieth þo offringes..werefore se christenman..of-seruet þo blisce of heuene. a1300Cursor M. 10784 Þar es resuns..Quar-for godd wald sco spused were. 1340Ayenb. 45 Greate blasfemies of god and of his halȝen hueruore god him wreþeþ. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xxxii. 145 Þou schall fynd na thing with vs wharfore þou schuld werray apon vs. 1474Caxton Chesse i. iii. (1883) 13 The causes wherfore this playe was founden ben thre. 1495Liber Festivalis v iij/2, I denounse..all tho that purchasen lettres of ony lordes courte wherfore letynge is made in cristen courte. 1597Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. lxiii. §1 The true reason wherfore Christ doth loue belieuers is because their belief is the gift of God. 1829Southey Sir T. More II. 187 The reason is sufficiently manifest wherefore a preference for republican institutions should hitherto have been shown.
5. Introducing a clause expressing a consequence or inference from what has just been stated: On which account; for which reason; which being the case; and therefore. (Now always ˈwherefore.)
a1300Cursor M. 16806 Þen com word to sir pilat..Of all thingez þat by-fell, Wharfor he wex radd. 1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 1194 Whar-for worldes worshepe may be cald Noght elles. 1456Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 232 This barne is all innocent.., quharefore he aw nocht to be grevit. c1500Melusine 361 And ryght forth said geffray, ‘I chalenge the, wherfor deffende the.’ 1500–20Dunbar Poems xxviii. 15 Sowtaris, with schone weill maid and meit, Ȝe mend the faltis of ill maid feit, Quhairfoir to Hevin ȝour saulis will fle. c1620A. Hume Brit. Tongue (1865) 10 Quherfoer in this case I wald commend to our men the imitation of the greek and latin. 1766Goldsm. Vic. W. xxii, I could not continue a silent spectator of her distress: wherefore, assuming a degree of severity in my voice and manner [etc.]. 1842Tennyson Morte d'Arthur 248 More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day. 1882Besant All Sorts xxix, A person, you see, is an individual, or an indivisible thing. Wherefore, let us not despise our neighbour.
†b. Followed by soever: For whatever reason; on whatever account. Obs. rare.
c1230Hali Meid. 61 Sone so þu telles te betere þen an oðer—beo it hwerfore se hit eauer beo,..þu marres ti meidenhad. c1530Ld. Berners Arth. Lyt. Bryt. lxxv. (1814) 331 He is in a great study, wherfore so euer it be. 1587Golding De Mornay xxxii. (1592) 514 But come they once in Question, wherefore soeuer it bee, let them not escape.
III. 6. as n. A question beginning with wherefore, or (more usually) the answer to such question; cause, reason. Often following why similarly used.
1590Shakes. Com. Err. ii. ii. 45 Ant. Shall I tell you why? S. Dro. I sir, and wherefore; for they say, euery why hath a wherefore. 1624Fletcher Rule a Wife iii. i, Such as are understanding in their draughts, And dispute learnedly the whyes and wherefores. 1641‘Smectymnuus’ Vind. Answ. xiii. 144 But let him first answer our Therefores, and wee will quickly answer his Wherefores. 1719Ramsay To Arbuckle 6 [He] disna care for A how, a what way, or a wherefore. 1838Dickens O. Twist xxxi, They will have the why and the wherefore, and will take nothing for granted. 1884A. S. Swan Dor. Kirke xiv, I am carried back to the days when I rebelled and demanded the wherefore of all God's dealings with me. |