whereadv.conj.
/wɛː/, U.S. /(h)wɛ(ə)r/ I. Interrogative uses.In subord. clauses formerly sometimes followed by that: see that conj. 7. For the distinction between the dependent interrogative and the relative use, cf. what pron.
1. In or at what place (region, country, etc.)?
a. in direct questions.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > here, there, etc. > [adverb] > there > at what place?
wherec825
whereverc1275
wheresoa1400
c825 Vesp. Psalter xli. 4 [xlii. 3] Hwer is god ðin?
c1000 Ælfric Genesis iii. 9 God..cwæð: Adam, hwar eart þu?
a1175 Cott. Hom. 241 Þis is hare bread, hwer scule we win finden?
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 12734 Lef maȝȝstre whære biggesst tu?
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 2223 Whær [c1300 Otho ware] beo ȝe mine cnihtes whar beo ȝe mine kempen.
a1300 Cursor Mundi 1123 Caym ware es þi broiþer abell?
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1311 Quar sal ben taken Ðe offrende ðat ðu wilt maken?
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 356 Ðu, nu quor art, adam, adam?
1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Gen. iii. 9 The Lord God clepide Adam, and seide to hym, Where art thow?
a1400–50 Wars Alex. 683 Quat sterne is it at ȝe stody on, quare stekis it in heuyn?
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 5 The secounde questioun, that is to say, quhare was bataill first fundyn.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xiii. 143 1 Pastor. Bot I will go before; Let vs mete. 2 Pastor. Whore? 3 Pastor. At the crokyd thorne.
a1600 A. Montgomerie Sonnets lvi. 13 Vhair go they then?
1638 J. Milton Lycidas in Obsequies 21 in Justa Edouardo King Where were ye Nimphs, when the remorselesse deep Clos'd ore the head of your lovd Lycidas?
1779 J. Warner in J. H. Jesse G. Selwyn & his Contemp. (1844) IV. 285 I have been preaching this morning, and am going to dine,—where?—in the afternoon.
1838 P. Egan Pilgrims of Thames 259 Where the deuce am I?
1847 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) xxvi. 264 My dearest Edith,..where on earth have you been?
1896 J. M. Barrie Sentimental Tommy iii. 34 Whaur heard you that name?
b.
(a) in subordinate clauses.
ΚΠ
c893 tr. Orosius Hist. iv. x. §3 Gesecgað me nu Romane, cwæð Orosius, hwonne þæt gewurde oþþe hwara [etc.].
971 Blickl. Hom. 241 Þine stefne ic gehiere, ac ic ne wat hwær þu eart.
c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 143 Ȝe hereð, ware heo com to ure helende.
a1240 Ureisun 106 in Old Eng. Hom. I. 197 Ful wel þu me iseie..Hwar ich was and hwat i dude.
c1290 S. Eng. Leg. 10/325 He wuste ȝware þe rode lai.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 157 Hit sal be reddynn þanne..How he was born and quen and ware [Fairf. 14 quare, Trin. Cambr. whare].
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 17288 + 223 Þai haf taken my lord,..and doyne him Ine wote whore.
c1400 (?c1380) Pearl l. 65 I ne wyste in þis worlde quere þat hit wace.
?1461 R. Lethum in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 239 I haue knowelege quere þe shippyng shall be.
1470–85 T. Malory Morte d'Arthur x. lvii. 511 Yet wold not sire Launcelot telle me certeynte of you where I shold fynde yow.
1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry (new ed.) f. 50 Where hops will growe, here learne to knowe.
1645 in Spalding Club Misc. I. 56 Ye will certanly knaw whair to find ws with the Regiementis.
1648 O. Cromwell Let. 17 June in Writings & Speeches (1937) (modernized text) I. 615 You may send to Colonel Herbert,..who will certainly acquaint you where he is.
1724 A. Ramsay Vision in Ever Green I. vii I..Speird, quhair he had been sae lang?
1785 W. Cowper Epist. to J. Hill in Task 287 An Emp'ror, a wise man, No matter where, in China or Japan.
1822 W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel I. iii. 77 You did not tell him where I lived, you knave?
1860 C. Dickens Uncommerc. Traveller in All Year Round 28 Jan. 324/2 Little does it signify to us, when the soul has departed, where this poor body lies.
1882 W. Besant All Sorts of Men II. xv. 16 You come from no one knows where; you live no one knows how.
(b) in dependence on an int. or vb. of looking: lo, see, look, behold where (he comes) = Here or there (he comes)! archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > here, there, etc. > [adverb] > with words denoting looking
wherec1275
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 2508 Leo wær here þa wombe þe þu læie inne swa longe.
c1420 Chron. Vilod. 3117 Lowe where is a lomb! a fayre whyte lomb! lo! lo!
1595 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 i. i. 50 Looke Lordings where the sturdy rebel sits.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) v. i. 7 See where she comes. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) v. xi. 20 Behold where stands Th' Vsurpers cursed head. View more context for this quotation
1682 N. Tate & J. Dryden 2nd Pt. Absalom & Achitophel 33 See where the Princely Barque in loosest Pride, With all her Guardian Fleet, Adorns the Tide!
1748 T. Gray Ode in R. Dodsley Coll. Poems II. 265 Lo! where the rosy-bosom'd hours, Fair Venus' train appear.
1839 T. Hood Quakers' Conversazione ii. 29 Lo! where the Soldier walks, alas! With Scars received on foreign Grounds.
c. colloquial with from or to at the end of the sentence or clause: where…from? = whence? where…to? = whither?
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > [adverb] > to or towards some thing or place > to or towards what place or direction
whither971
whereOE
whereforthc1290
wheretoa1300
wherebya1450
where…to?1768
wheretill1827
which-a-way1909
the world > space > direction > [adverb] > away from some thing or place > from what place
whencea1300
whence-from1579
where…from?1836
1768 H. Brooke Fool of Quality III. xiv. 78 I must go suddenly, but where to?
1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. I. 27 Where on earth the husband came from.
1914 ‘I. Hay’ Knight on Wheels xiii Where do these brats hail from?
2. In general and figurative senses: In what position, situation, or circumstances? at what point or stage (of action, speech, or thought)? in what passage or part (of a writing)? in what particular? in what respect? in what? also (contextually, with get, etc.) from what source?
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > position or situation > [adverb] > in what position or situation
where?c1225
the world > existence and causation > existence > state or condition > circumstance or circumstances > [adverb] > in what case or circumstance
howOE
whenc1000
where?c1225
the world > existence and causation > causation > source or origin > [adverb] > from what source or origin
whennec888
whethenc1200
whence1485
where1729
society > communication > writing > state of having been written > [adverb] > in this document or writing, herein > indication of particular passage or part
where1882
the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [adverb] > at what point or stage
where1908
the world > existence and causation > existence > state or condition > circumstance or circumstances > [adverb] > at what point or juncture
where1908
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 8 Askið hwat beo ordre. & hwer he finde inhali writ openlukest des[c]riuet..þet is i[n] seint iames pistel.
a1250 Owl & Nightingale 892 & þan sunfulle ic helpe al so Vor ic him teche hwar is wo.
a1300 Cursor Mundi 2800 Godd..Þat made þat sinful folk sa madd, Þat þai ne wist war þai war stad.
c1450 Mirk's Festial 4 Hys angyll..tellyng hym redely wher and how oft he haþe don amys.
1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. xiii. sig. Givv In defendynge of oratours and poetes I had all moste forgoten where I was.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iii. v. 15 Where haue they this mettell? Is not their Clymate foggy, raw, and dull? View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) v. ii. 28 O, I know where you are. View more context for this quotation
1641 J. Milton Reason Church-govt. 28 If there were no opposition where were the triall of an unfained goodnesse and magnanimity?
1729 W. Law Serious Call ix. 124 You must not deceive yourself with saying, Where can be the harm of cloaths?
1847 C. Brontë Jane Eyre III. vi. 147 ‘But where is the use of going on,’ I asked.
1882 W. Besant All Sorts of Men II. xxii. 122 ‘I see... You were attracted by the ancient inscriptions?’ ‘Naturally; without inscriptions, where are you?’
1908 R. Bagot Anthony Cuthbert v. 47 That is all very well; but where do I come in?
3. To what place? Now, in ordinary use, taking the place of whither adv.; cf. here adv. 7, there adv. 8 (Formerly frequently with become; see become v. 1b.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > [adverb] > to or towards some thing or place > to or towards what place or direction
whither971
whereOE
whereforthc1290
wheretoa1300
wherebya1450
where…to?1768
wheretill1827
which-a-way1909
OE Wanderer 92 Hwær cwom mearg? Hwær cwom mago? Hwær cwon maþþumgyfa?
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 10935 Wær [c1300 Otho Ware] scullen we bicumen.
1303 R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne 7492 Þat þrostel sagh he no more; Hyt become, he ne wyst whore.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. Prol. 166 Were þere a belle on here beiȝ... Men myȝte wite where þei went and awei renne!
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 13748 Quar ar þai cummen, þin wiþerwins þat þe had nummen?
1470–85 T. Malory Morte d'Arthur xxi. iv. 846 Where are al my noble knyghtes becomen?
1587 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Iland Brit. (new ed.) i. xi. 47/1 in Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) I Whose eies are so blinded with the thicknesse of that element, that they cannot see where to become.
1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream iii. i. 155 Where shall we goe? View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iv. iv. 296 Song Get you hence, for I must goe Aut. Where it fits not you to know. Dor. Whether?
a1708 T. Ward England's Reformation (1710) i. 86 His Soul departed, God knows where.
1730 A. Gordon tr. F. S. Maffei Compl. Hist. Anc. Amphitheatres 289 We shall now mention where every one of those Entries..lead.
1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas I. iii. iii. 354 Unconscionable dogs! Where do they expect to go when they die?
1860 C. Dickens Uncommerc. Traveller in All Year Round 18 Feb. 392/1 Who departed this life I don't know when, and whose coaches are all gone I don't know where.
4. In rhetorical questions having the effect of emphatic negations (cf. what pron. 3a): e.g. where is ——? implying or suggesting ‘—— has vanished’ or ‘there is no —— anywhere’; where not = everywhere (cf. what-not n.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > absence > [adverb] > in rhetorical question
wherec888
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xix Hwær synt nu þæs Welondes ban, oððe hwa wat nu hwær hi wæron?
c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) viii. 25 Ða cwæþ se hælend, hwar is eower geleafa?
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 1083 Hwere mithe i finden ani so hey So hauelok is, or so sley?
c1430 Hymns Virgin (1867) 86 Where is bicome cesar, þat lorde was of al?
a1529 J. Skelton Magnyfycence (?1530) sig. Fiiii Where is nowe my welth, and my noble estate.
1567 R. Sempill Test. & Trag. King Henrie (single sheet) Quhair sall men find steidfast stabilnes?
1602 W. Watson Decacordon Ten Quodlibeticall Questions 34 All went to wracke in England, Scotland, Flanders, Germanie, Polony, and where not.
1709 M. Prior Henry & Emma 282 And where is Emma's Joy, if Henry flies?
1842 F. Trollope Visit to Italy I. iii. 49 As to pictures, where could I find foolscap enough to catalogue the multitude I have seen?
1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. i. v. 43 Where would be the good of Mrs. Boffin and me quarrelling over it?
1906 C. Bigg Wayside Sketches vi. 154 Where shall we find him [sc. the perfect reformer] except in the Son of Man?
II. Relative and conjunctive uses.Formerly often followed by that (that conj. 7).
* In senses referring to physical position.
5.
a. as nominal relative, or as correlative to there (implied and sometimes expressed; cf. what pron. III.*, when conj. 1): In or at the (or a) place in or at which; at the part at which.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > here, there, etc. > here or there [conjunction] > where
thereas?c1225
where13..
the world > space > place > here, there, etc. > [adverb] > there > at the place which
therea800
there therec1000
asc1225
where13..
whereasa1375
whereatc1400
whereinc1400
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. vi. 21 Ubi enim est thesaurus tuus ibi est et cor tuum, ðer vel huer forðon is strion ðin, ðer is & hearta ðin.]
13.. Northern Passion I. 138 Þei souhte anoþer where þei myhte.
1338 R. Mannyng Chron. (1725) I. 22 Þer where he was schotte.
c1400 tr. Secr. Secr., Gov. Lordsh. 89 A hors shal neuer henny whore he dwellys.
1483 in G. Neilson & H. Paton Acts Lords of Council Civil Causes (1918) II. Introd. p. cii The Lordis..ordanis that letters be writin to the schireffis quhar the said landis liis.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Svpper of the Lorde f. cxxvii That where he is, thither mighte we also ascende.
1583 B. Melbancke Philotimus (new ed.) sig. Ei Wher God buildes a church, the deuill builds a chappell.
a1592 R. Greene Orpharion (1599) 18 Where the sea is most deepe, there it is most calme.
1639 J. Clarke Paroemiologia 48 He is where he would be.
1779 W. Cowper Where Humber in Tale Where Humber pours his rich commercial stream, There dwelt a wretch, who breath'd but to blaspheme.
1810 G. Crabbe Borough ii. 18 Where the common Eye Can but the bare and rocky Bed descry: There Science loves to trace her Tribes minute.
1859 J. Ruskin Two Paths i. §2 Inverness, placed where it might ennoble one of the sweetest landscapes.
1893 M. Pemberton Iron Pirate iv I shall stay where I am.
1904 W. H. Smith Promoters v. 95 Right there was where we got in our work.
b. To the (or a) place in or at which (= thither where).
ΚΠ
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. John xi. 32 Cum uenisset ubi erat iesus, Miððy cuome ðer vel huoer uæs se hælend.]
c1480 (a1400) St. Peter 100 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 10 To þe prince sa spak he þane, þat quhare petire wes, he wane.
a1500 Hist. K. Boccus & Sydracke (?1510) sig. N j They fare as a lefe on the tre That turnes whare the wynd wylbe.
c1595 Countess of Pembroke Psalme lxxxiv. 22 in Coll. Wks. (1998) II. 122 Me seemes I see them going Where mulberies are growing.
1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd iii. 244 I will bring thee where thou soon shalt quit Those rudiments. View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis xi, in tr. Virgil Wks. 539 He took his Way, Where, new in Death, lamented Pallas lay.
1923 N.E.D. at Where Mod. I'll take you where we shall get a better view.
6. Introducing a clause as object of a verb or preposition, or as predicate: = a or the place in (or to) which.Originating in, and not always distinguishable from, the use in indirect questions ( 1b).
ΚΠ
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. viii. 20 Filius..hominis non habet ubi caput reclinet, Sunu..monnes ne hæfis huer [Rushw. wær] heafud gehlutes; [1382 Wyclif but mannes sone hath nat wher he reste his heued.]]
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 12985 Þeȝȝ tokenn þær to fraȝȝnenn crist. Off whære he wass att hame.
1579 W. Wilkinson Confut. Familye of Loue Brief Descr. Not hauyng where they durst at any tyme rest.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. iii. sig. Ee2 From where the day out of the sea doth spring, Vntill the closure of the Euening.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage ii. xvii. 170 The Iewes will not quite empty any place of water, that on the Sabbath these fierie soules may finde where to coole them.
1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. v. 42 Within about twenty paces of where we were sitting.
1766 O. Goldsmith Ballad [the Hermit] in Vicar of Wakefield I. viii. 70 And guide my lonely way To where yon taper cheers the vale With hospitable ray.
1876 Ld. Tennyson Harold v. i. 142 I can see it From where we stand.
1882 W. Besant All Sorts of Men I. iv. 113 He..showed her where the liquor stood to ferment.
7. as simple relative.
a. With antecedent place, or some noun denoting a place or receptacle; introducing a defining or restrictive clause completing the sense: In or at which.
ΚΠ
c1250 Kent. Serm. in Old Eng. Misc. 27 Al-wat hi kam over þo huse war ure louerd was.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis III. 324 He bad his man to gon and spire A place wher sche myhte abyde.
c1400 Rule St. Benet (verse) 1666 And honest place for to be in, Whor þai may sit with-outyn dyn.
1457 in J. Raine Testamenta Eboracensia (1855) II. 207 Att Saynt Nicholas auter before the stall quer I sitt at mese.
1539 in J. Stuart Extracts Council Reg. Aberdeen (1844) I. 159 I sell leid the to the place for the freir swewyt the.
1567 Sc. Acts Jas. VI (1814) III. 23/2 The Superintendent, and Ministeris of that Prouince quhair the benefice lyis.
a1600 A. Montgomerie Sonnets xlviii. 2 In hauthornes vher thou hyds thy self and hants.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 145 Th' unhappy Climes, where Spring was never known. View more context for this quotation
1788 E. Picken Poems & Epist. 27 At yon burnie..Whar the shinan peebles lie.
1834 F. Marryat Jacob Faithful III. xvi. 268 I hastened to the black-hole where Tom was confined.
1893 M. Pemberton Iron Pirate iii Looking for all the world like some great dog that has entered a house where dogs are forbidden.
b. Introducing an additional statement, the sense being complete without the relative clause: In or at which place; and there.
ΚΠ
a1300 Cursor Mundi 950 Vnto þe wreched werld to gang, Quare þou sal thinc þou liues to lang.
c1420 Anturs Arth. xxxvii By þat on plumtone land a palais was piȝte, Were neuer freke opone folde had fouȝtene biforne.
1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) i. 354 To Sanct Androws he come..Quhar the byschop..Resavyt him.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection i. sig. Bvv Their probacion in desert: where god prouided their feyth and hope.
a1586 A. Montgomerie Misc. Poems xlviii. 222 Then to the Douns, vhair that we raid a space.
1645 J. Milton L'Allegro in Poems 33 Russet Lawns, and Fallows Gray, Where the nibling flocks do stray.
1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. xiv. 134 We were shewn into a little back room, where there was only a venerable old man.
1820 J. Keats Lamia i, in Lamia & Other Poems 25 A pillar'd porch..Where hung a silver lamp.
1882 W. Besant All Sorts of Men II. xxviii. 223 I have been in America, where, if anywhere, the people have it their own way.
8. as compound or simple relative: (In, or to, the place) to which; whither.
ΚΠ
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 1154 Wid all þu sal biholden vile, Quar þu wendis in exile.
1508 Reg. Privy Seal Scot. I. 250/2 Quhether the saidis P. and J. pass in the realme of France or uther partis quhare ples thaim.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III i. ii. 106 He is in heauen where thou shalt neuer come. View more context for this quotation
1655 in E. Nicholas Nicholas Papers (1897) III. 209 A letter..which..hee vndertooke to transmitt where it was directed.
1774 Ld. Chesterfield Lett. to Son I. i. 2 Holland, where you are going, is, by far, the finest..of the Seven United Provinces.
1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin II. xxvi. 113 Tom..looked up for help where he had always been used to look.
1893 M. Pemberton Iron Pirate i Him I am going to meet in this Paris where I go without aim.
9. In generalized or indefinite sense: In, or to, any (or every) place in, or to, which; wherever.The indefinite sense is more explicitly expressed by the addition of ever, so, †sum: see wherever adv. and conj., whereso adv. and conj., wheresome adv. and conj., wheresomever adv. and conj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > here, there, etc. > here or there [conjunction] > where > wherever
wherec1175
whereverc1384
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 5904 Whære o lande summ itt iss. Þatt mann off goddspell spelleþþ.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 1658 Lete we sum þis mochele folc fare wher [c1300 Otho woder] ha wulleð.
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 6617 Euere ware he com gode lawes he broȝte.
a1352 L. Minot Poems (1887) ix. 20 None letes him þe way to wende whore he will.
1395 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 8 Ware that euer I deye.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 6136 Mas sacrifis ȝour lauerd vntill, Quar and hou, so þat ȝe will.
14.. in Tundale's Vis. (1843) 99 Lett thi name wher we rydy or gon..Be owre defence ageyn owre mortal fon.
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Where you will, ubilibet.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xix. 10 Where he ariues he moues All harts against vs. View more context for this quotation
1781 W. Cowper Table Talk 298 Sing where you please.
1865 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend II. iii. viii. 70 I won't stand in your way. Go where you like.
** In general and figurative senses.
10. as nominal relative.
a. In the passage or part (of a writing) in which; at, or to, the point or stage (of action, speech, etc.) at which.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > writing > state of having been written > in writing [conjunction] > in passage or part in which
wherec1400
the world > existence and causation > existence > state or condition > circumstance or circumstances > if, in case, or lest [conjunction] > in which or at which > in text, action, or speech
wherec1400
c1400 Rule St. Benet (verse) 206 In his godspel, whaire he says þus: ‘Nolo mortem peccatoris’.
c1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Augustine (1910) 1 In þe first capitle Ad Romanos, where he saide þat he was dettour on-to wise men and onwise.
1580 R. Parsons Brief Disc. f. 40 Throughe out the scripture, where Idoles are forbidden, they translate it Images.
1622 H. Peacham Compl. Gentleman xi. 97 But we returne where we left.
1661 in Extracts State Papers (Friends' Hist. Soc.) (1911) 2nd Ser. 126 I marked the booke where there is a passage full of treason.
1907 Blackwood's Mag. Jan. 136/2 Where Powell parted company most fiercely from the Radicals was in his steadfast patriotism.
b.
(a) In a or the case in which (often nearly = when conj. 4); in the circumstances, position, or condition in which; in that respect or particular in which. (Sometimes with implication of contrast or opposition: cf. 12b.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > state or condition > circumstance or circumstances > if, in case, or lest [conjunction] > in the case or circumstances in which
wherea1387
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 227 Were þe socour of the watir faillede þere men schulde defende hem in þe lond by help of þe wal.
c1420 J. Lydgate Assembly of Gods 1634 He wold deele where he had no charge.
1513 G. Douglas in tr. Virgil Æneid iv. Prol. 199 Quhar schame is lost quyte schent is womanheid.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) v. iv. 44 When women cannot loue, where they're belou'd. View more context for this quotation
1635 F. Quarles Emblemes i. xii. 49 Ther's nothing wholsome, where the whole's infected.
1766 J. Fordyce Serm. Young Women I. v. 193 We cannot be easy, where we are not safe.
1823 W. Scott St. Ronan's Well II. ix. 226 ‘By my soul, Clara, I will make you repent this!’ said Mowbray, with more violence than he usually exhibited where his sister was concerned.
1850 J. H. Newman Lect. Diffic. Anglicans ix. 221 They are rude where they should be reverent.
1918 Act 8 George V c. 5. §1 (1) Where it is proposed to make any such Order..a draft of the Order shall be presented to each House of Parliament.
(b) Contextually indicating a person or persons as the object of love or marriage.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > relation [conjunction] > whom
where1619
the mind > emotion > love > amorous love > contextually indicating person(s) as love object [conjunction]
where1619
1619 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher King & No King iii. sig. E2 O shee is farre from any stubbornnesse,..and no doubt will like Where you wil haue her.
1859 ‘G. Eliot’ Adam Bede I. i. iv. 78 Thee know'st we canna love just where other folks 'ud have us.
1878 T. Hardy Return of Native I. i. iv. 75 I saw that..it would be better she should marry where she wished.
c.
(a) with construction as in 6: = †a case in which; †a person to whom; the point or particular in which. (Cf. when conj. 2.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > state or condition > circumstance or circumstances > if, in case, or lest [conjunction] > a case in which or the point in which
wherea1300
a1300 K. Horn (Cambr.) 691 Ihc herde whar he sede, & his swerd forþ leide, To bringe þe of lyue.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xi. 39 I herd neuir quhar so lang varnyng Wes gevin.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) i. ii. 61 I haue heard, Where many of the best respect in Rome..Haue wish'd, that Noble Brutus had his eyes. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) ii. iv. 111 The Vowes of Women, Of no more bondage be, to where they are made, Then they are to their Vertues. View more context for this quotation
1923 N.E.D. at Where Mod. That was where he failed. (colloq.) That's just where it is!
(b) In U.S. use frequently equivalent to that pron.2 (see also quot. 1931).
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > state or condition > circumstance or circumstances > if, in case, or lest [conjunction] > (to) the point where
to where1933
to the point where1938
where1976
the world > relative properties > quantity > degree or relative amount of a quality, action, etc. > [adverb] > to such an extent > to such an extent that
suchc1100
insomuch thata1450
insomuch as1579
insomuch1605
such1776
to where1933
to the point where1938
where1976
1927 E. O'Neill Marco Millions ii. ii. 122 I can see where I'll have to be telling her what to do every second.
1931 G. O. Curme Syntax 245 This old use of where with the force of a noun + in which is still heard in colloquial speech: ‘This morning I read in the Tribune where (in the literary language an account in which) a boy killed his father.’
1938 D. Runyon Furthermore iii. 51 I see by the papers where three Brooklyn citizens are scragged.
1958 T. Capote Breakfast at Tiffany's 110 [I] had read where the Trawlers were countersuing for divorce.
1965 New Yorker 15 May 45 I see where the St. Regis has changed hands again.
1976 National Observer (U.S.) 14 Aug. 2/4 I can see where people might think that Kelley doesn't know what's going on in his own organization.
d. In colloquial phr. where it's (he's, she's) at: the true or essential nature of a situation (or person); the true state of affairs; a place of central activity. Cf. at prep. 1d originally U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > central condition or position > [phrase] > centre of activity
where it's (he's, she's) at1903
where the action is1960
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > [noun] > true facts or circumstances
the soothc897
rightOE
trutha1382
the feat ofa1400
verity1422
the whole story1565
fact1578
the right way (also regionally gate) (of)a1628
bottom fact1864
where it's (he's, she's) at1903
inside1904
dinkum1916
the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > character or nature > of the nature or character of [phrase] > true nature or where it's at
where it's (he's, she's) at1903
the mind > mental capacity > disposition or character > [noun]
heartOE
erda1000
moodOE
i-mindOE
i-cundeOE
costc1175
lundc1175
evena1200
kinda1225
custc1275
couragec1300
the manner ofc1300
qualityc1300
talentc1330
attemperancec1374
complexionc1386
dispositiona1387
propertyc1390
naturea1393
assay1393
inclinationa1398
gentlenessa1400
proprietya1400
habitudec1400
makingc1400
conditionc1405
habitc1405
conceitc1425
affecta1460
ingeny1477
engine1488
stomach?1510
mind?a1513
ingine1533
affection1534
vein1536
humour?1563
natural1564
facultyc1565
concept1566
frame1567
temperature1583
geniusa1586
bent1587
constitution1589
composition1597
character1600
tune1600
qualification1602
infusion1604
spirits1604
dispose1609
selfness1611
disposure1613
composurea1616
racea1616
tempera1616
crasisc1616
directiona1639
grain1641
turn1647
complexure1648
genie1653
make1674
personality1710
tonea1751
bearing1795
liver1800
make-up1821
temperament1821
naturalness1850
selfhood1854
Wesen1854
naturel1856
sit1857
fibre1864
character structure1873
mentality1895
mindset1909
psyche1910
where it's (he's, she's) at1967
1903 N.Y. Sun 8 Nov. 6 The business world wants rest. It wants to know where it is at.
1965 Daily Mail 2 Oct. 5/2 What's the phrase you use for being in touch?.. Where it's at.
1967 Listener 26 Oct. 522/3 As Dylan says, ‘I'll let you be in my dream, if I can be in yours.’ I think I know where he's at.
1971 Melody Maker 9 Oct. 17/5 The musicians frequently became frustrated..not really believing their own bands were where it was at.
1974 R. M. Pirsig Zen & Art of Motorcycle Maintenance x. 117 That, today, is where it is at, and will continue to be at for a long time to come.
1977 W. J. Weatherby Home in Dark xiii. 69 She was always a housewife at heart. She just took too long to find out where she was at.
e. U.S. dialect. to where, to or at a point, position, etc., such that; to such an extent that. Occasionally with omission of to.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > state or condition > circumstance or circumstances > if, in case, or lest [conjunction] > (to) the point where
to where1933
to the point where1938
where1976
the world > relative properties > quantity > degree or relative amount of a quality, action, etc. > [adverb] > to such an extent > to such an extent that
suchc1100
insomuch thata1450
insomuch as1579
insomuch1605
such1776
to where1933
to the point where1938
where1976
1933 M. K. Rawlings South Moon Under xvi. 157 Is your loggin' to where you kin leave it for a whiles?
1938 M. K. Rawlings Yearling xvi. 181 My grand-pappy got hisself stung oncet to where he was in the bed a fortnight.
1960 H. Lee To kill Mockingbird xi. 109 Having developed my talent to where I could throw up a stick and almost catch it coming down.
1969 B. K. Green Wild Cow Tales 247 I would pitch a rope over a steer's neck and give it a whip-like motion to where the knot would come back under his neck on the ground back on my side.
1974 N. Guidici in S. Terkel Working vi. 316 I want to have enough money where I wouldn't have to be a bum on the street.
11. as simple relative.
a. Introducing a defining or restrictive clause completing the sense (cf. 7a): In or at which; †rarely with person as antecedent, In whom.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > relation [conjunction] > at whom
wherec1500
c1500 Melusine (1895) 238 She consyderyng the daunger where bothe she & her peple had be.
1584 King James VI & I Ess. Prentise Poesie sig. Kv Ignorants obdurde, quhair wilfull errour lyis.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II v. ii. 5 Yorke. Where did I leaue? Du. At that sad stop my Lord, Where rude misgouerned hands..Threw dust..on king Richards head. View more context for this quotation
1692 tr. C. de Saint-Évremond Misc. Ess. 98 There is no life so regular, where particular Actions don't sometimes exceed the general habit and conduct.
1792 Jrnl. House of Commons 2 Apr. 47 641/2 In a Case where the Officers had broken into a Bedchamber.
1887 W. P. Frith Autobiogr. I. xxi. 284 It is difficult to put one's finger on the precise spot where confidence merges into conceit.
b. Introducing an additional statement (cf. 7b): In or at which; and there; hence, †whereupon, and then.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > state or condition > circumstance or circumstances > if, in case, or lest [conjunction] > in which or at which
where1377
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > future [conjunction] > whereupon
where1694
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. v. 283 Who so leueth nouȝte þis be soth loke in þe sauter glose, In miserere mei deus, where I mene treuthe.
1423 Kingis Quair lxi With that anon ryght sche toke vp a sang, Quhare come anon mo birdis and alight.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) i. i. 29 To be in loue; where scorne is bought with grones. View more context for this quotation
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 67 The Agent for the English Merchants inuited vs to a Banquet, where he shewed a heartie Entertainment.
1694 tr. F. Martens Voy. Spitzbergen 128 in Narbrough's Acct. Several Late Voy. The Seamen let them alone until the Whale be killed, where they take him without any trouble.
1781 W. Cowper Truth 372 The controversial field, Where deists, always foil'd, yet scorn to yield.
1831 W. Scott Kenilworth Introd. p. x The Yorkshire Tragedy, a play erroneously ascribed to Shakspeare, where a Baker..throws his wife down stairs.
c. to the point where, to a situation, condition, extent, etc., such that.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > state or condition > circumstance or circumstances > if, in case, or lest [conjunction] > (to) the point where
to where1933
to the point where1938
where1976
the world > relative properties > quantity > degree or relative amount of a quality, action, etc. > [adverb] > to such an extent > to such an extent that
suchc1100
insomuch thata1450
insomuch as1579
insomuch1605
such1776
to where1933
to the point where1938
where1976
1938 F. S. Fitzgerald Let. 22 Feb. (1964) 569 If it ever came to the point where you thought you ought to lay up under medical care, his is the sanitarium which I should choose.
1960 Radio Amateur's Handbk. (ed. 37) 190/2 Adjust the potentiometer..to the point where the oscillator cannot be heard between dots and dashes at normal keying speed.
1968 N. Chomsky & M. Halle Sound Pattern Eng. 329 Our investigations of these features have not progressed to a point where a discussion in print would be useful.
1970 P. Whittle Probability v. 100 Models which can be simple, without being idealized to the point where they have no practical value.
12. † a. It being the case that; in view of the fact that; forasmuch as, inasmuch as: = whereas adv. and conj. 2; cf. when conj. 5a (Chiefly in legal or other formal documents.) Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > cause or reason > [conjunction] > seeing that or since
forwhya1400
where1411
whereas1426
seeinga1475
seen1483
fro1535
1411 Rolls of Parl. III. 650/1 First, where the forsaid Lord the Roos.. compleyneth hym by a Bille, surmettyng on the same Robert [etc.].
c1450 Godstow Reg. 25 Women of relygyone, in redynge bokys of latyn, byn excusyd of grete vndurstondyng, where it is not her modyr tonge.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Pref. sig. ❧.iv And where heretofore, there hath been great diuersitie..within this realme..: Now from hencefourth, [etc.].
1562–3 in J. W. Clay North Country Wills (1912) II. 36 Where that..Hadoile the smythe hathe gyven to me his eldest sonne Christopher as my owne, I will he be put unto the schoale.
1599 in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. v. 336 Where it is considered by the Maior, Sheriffs, and cittizens of this citie how greatly the city is impoverished.
1637 Bk. Com. Pr. Scot. Table & Kal. And where [1662 whereas] the Cxix. psalme is divided into xxij. portions,..it is so ordered [etc.].
b. In adversative sense: While on the contrary: = when conj. 5b, whereas adv. and conj. 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > contrariety or contrast > contrariety [conjunction] > whereas
therec1200
wherec1380
thereasc1385
whereas1535
c1380 J. Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 358 It fordoiþ Cristis privylege, þat where Cristene men shulden be free, now þei ben nedid to hire a preest.
c1440 Generydes 1134 Now A dayis I lese all that I wanne, Where here before I was a threfty man.
1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 62 Purple in those dayes was for the wearyng of none but kynges & princes, wher now it is communely taken vp with euery sowter.
1596 Raigne of Edward III sig. H1 And wheretofore I loued thee as Villeirs, Heereafter Ile embrace thee as my selfe. View more context for this quotation
1668 H. Rolle Abridgm., Action sur Case 40 He swore, that the Wood was worth 40s. where it was dear of 13s. 4d.
1681 C. Morelli Let. 11 Apr. in S. Pepys Diary (1879) VI. 135 All Baptist's bases are singable, where many of Pedro's are not so.
1929 R. A. Cram Catholic Church & Art iv. 57 Where the pagan architecture had been an exterior art..and where Roman and Byzantine art had striven to achieve space in its simplest form, the North worked for interior space.
III. Indefinite and substantival uses.
13. With preceding qualifying words (one, other, etc.), forming adverbial phrases: In or at (one, another, etc.) place.Chiefly as second element in compounds: see allwhere conj. and adv., anywhere adv. and pron., aywhere adv., eachwhere adv., elsewhere adv., everywhere adv., n., pron., and adj., many-where adv., nowhere adv., n., pron., and adj., onewhere adv., otherwhere adv. and n., somewhere adv. and n., wide-where adv.
ΚΠ
?1508 Balade in Sir Eglamour (Chepman & Myllar) sig. cviiiv Suth it is & sene in all our quhare No erdly thing bot for a tyme may lest.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke xiii. f. c For it cannott be, that a prophet perisshe eny other where, save att Ierusalem.
1528 W. Tyndale Obed. Christen Man f. lxxiiij We must stere vp some warre one where or a nother.
?1561 Syr Tryamoure (new ed.) sig. E.iv They hunted and rode many a where.
1650 I. Ambrose Ultima 184 His Apostles are scattered in the garden, his garments at the crosse, his bloud how many wheres?
a1694 J. Tillotson Serm. VII. 108 Though they be very active, yet they can be but one where at once.
1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 9 He got Victuals enough one where or other.
1815 J. Foster Let. Dec. in Life & Corr. J. Foster (1846) I. 453 I still preach, one where or other.
14. as n. Place, locality; in modern use esp. the place at which the thing spoken of is or happens.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > [noun]
stowc888
stokea900
steadc1000
placec1250
fletc1275
roomc1330
spotc1400
where1443
quarter1448
plat1556
stour1583
situation1610
ubity1624
1443–9 R. Pecock Donet xvi. (1921) 92 More of þis mater..may be seen..in þe book of dyuyne office in manye a wher.
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 27 Y conforme me in othere wheris of my writingis.
1560 T. Phaer tr. Virgil Æneid ix. 58 He troub[l]ous vewes their wals, & ryding sekes ech entring where.
1563 T. Sackville in W. Baldwin et al. Myrrour for Magistrates (new ed.) lxvi In euery where or sworde or fyer they taste.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. iv. sig. Ff2 Finding the Nymph a sleepe in secret wheare.
1635 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Donzella Desterrada 36 Resolved to leave no where thereabouts unsearched for her.
1720 D. Defoe Vision of Angelic World in Serious Refl. (1801) iv. 223 For if we are to be, we must have a where.
1814 Ld. Byron Corsair i. xiv. 23 The why—the where—what boots it now to tell?
1863 H. W. Longfellow tr. Dante Paradiso xxvii. 109 In this heaven there is no other Where Than in the Mind Divine.
1896 A. Austin England's Darling i. i While he roams abroad,..Spying the where and whither of his foes.
Compounds
In senses of branches I. and II., in combination with adverbs and prepositions.For history of this use see here adv. and n.2 Compounds 1; cf. there adv. Compounds 1. C1. With adverbs.† whereforth adv. Obsolete
whereaway n. whither, in what direction.
ΚΠ
1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. 637 And quhair awa, quhither to hevin or hell.
1842 Whistle-Binkie 3rd Ser. 84 He daunert on, ne'er thinkin' whar-awa.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Where away? in what bearing? a question to the man at the mast-head to designate in what direction a strange sail lies.
1885 Harper's Mag. Jan. 212/2 Much pondering where~away The Northeast Passage lay.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > [adverb] > to or towards some thing or place > to or towards what place or direction
whither971
whereOE
whereforthc1290
wheretoa1300
wherebya1450
where…to?1768
wheretill1827
which-a-way1909
c1290 St. Cuthbert 77 in S. Eng. Leg. 361 He ne miȝte nouȝt finde is fore, Ȝware~forth he wende a-wei in snowe ne in þe flore.
1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. xvii. 339 Ac þorw werkes þou myght wite wher forþ he walkeþ.
1642 Iack Puffe 16 in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. IV. 315 The shockt mount, whereforth a Mouse did clime.
C2. With prepositions = what or which (†occasionally whom). See also main words, whereabout adv. and n. to wherewithal adv.† wherenigh adv. Obsolete† wherewithout adv. Obsolete
whereagainst adv.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > [adverb] > against which
whereagainst1526
the world > space > distance > nearness > [adverb] > contiguously > against which
whereagainst1526
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke xxi. f. cxjv I will geve you a mouth and wysdom, were agaynste, all youre adversarys shall not be able to speake.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) iv. v. 108 That body, where against My grained Ash an hundred times hath broke. View more context for this quotation
1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue i. 251 I was..driven to seeke out some Wall, where-against to leane.
wherealong adv.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > specific directions > [adverb] > in longitudinal direction > along the length of something
whereby1297
along?a1425
wherealong1768
1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued I. i. vii. 201 The organs or other channels wherealong they pass.
whereamong adv.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > generality > condition or state of being inclusive > [adverb] > among which
whereamong1582
1582 A. Munday Eng. Romayne Lyfe sig. H4 Reliques, where among he named the Nayles, that nailed Christe on the Crosse.
1620 tr. G. Boccaccio Decameron 160 Isabella fell into abundance of teares, where~among she mingled many sighes and groanes.
1929 R. Bridges Test. Beauty i. 17 Where~among hath the sceptic honourable place.
whereamongst adv.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition or fact of being interjacent > position of being among > [adverb] > among which
whereamongst1578
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball iv. xxviii. 485 Growing almost as high as the wheat or corne..whereamongst it groweth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > nearness > [adverb] > near which
whereby1297
wherenigha1657
a1657 W. Burton Comm. Antoninus his Itinerary (1658) 90 Our learned Antiquary therefore hath shewed very good judgement in descrying the ground, where-nigh it stood of yore.
whereover adv.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > high position > position upon > [adverb] > upon which
thereonc1330
whereupon1390
whereover1475
1475 Bk. Noblesse (Roxb.) 72 It was never seen that any countre..did encrece welle wherover many nedeles officers..was reignyng..over theym.
1583 P. Stubbes Second Pt. Anat. Abuses sig. K6v Whereouer the holie Ghost hath made them ouerseers.
1853 T. Parker Disc. Death Webster in Wks. (1865) XII. 18 A great gulf.., whereover neither Dives nor Abraham, nor yet Moses himself, can pass.
1883 A. C. Swinburne Cent. Roundels 68 Love lies bleeding in the bed whereover Roses lean.
whereround adv.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > surrounding > [adverb] > round which
whereround1910
1910 Spectator 4 June 927/2 The storm-grey Manse, Where~round tall rhododendrons dance.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > [adverb] > outside > outside which
wherewithout1567
1567 J. Jewel Def. Apol. Churche Eng. v. xiii. 572 The conductes of Water, wherewithout menne cannot commodiously liue.
1578 R. Day Bk. Christian Prayers sig. B ij Thou light, wherewithout all things are deepe darcknesse.
1899 M. Beerbohm More 95 Mere masses of colour, crude intensity of conception, wherewithout posters fail, were quite unnecessary.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1923; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adv.conj.c825