wherefore
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English wherfor, wherfore, hwarfore, equivalent to where (“=what”) + for. Compare Dutch waarvoor (“what for, wherefore”), German wofür (“for what, what for, why”), (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Danish and (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Norwegian hvorfor (“wherefore, why”), Swedish varför (“wherefore, why”). More at where, for.
Pronunciation
- enPR: wâ(r)'fô(r)", IPA(key): /ˈweə(ɹ)ˌfɔː(ɹ)/
- enPR: hwâ(r)'fô(r)", IPA(key): /ˈʍeə(ɹ)ˌfɔː(ɹ)/
- Hyphenation: where‧fore
Adverb
wherefore (not comparable)
- (conjunctive, archaic) Why, for what reason, because of what.
- "Job", Holy Bible King James Version, 21:7:
- Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?
- 1595, William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
- Romeo, O Romeo. Wherefore art thou Romeo?
- 1610-11?, Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act III, scene i:
- Wherefore weep you?
- 1920, Herman Cyril McNeile, Bulldog Drummond Chapter 1
- "Good morning, Mrs. Denny," he said. "Wherefore this worried look on your face? Has that reprobate James been misbehaving himself?"
- "Job", Holy Bible King James Version, 21:7:
- (conjunctive, archaic or formal) Therefore.
Usage notes
A common misconception is that wherefore means where; it is occasionally so used in retellings of Romeo and Juliet — often for comedic effect. In Romeo and Juliet, the meaning of “Wherefore art thou Romeo?” (Act 2, scene 2, line 33) is not “Where are you, Romeo?” but “Why are you Romeo?” (i.e. “Why did you have to be a Montague?”).[1]
See also
Conjunction
wherefore
- (archaic) Because of which.
- "Isaiah", Holy Bible King James Version, 30:12-13:
- Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:
Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.
- Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:
- 1914, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Mucker[1], HTML edition, The Gutenberg Project, published 2009:
- Wherefore it was that by the time the authorities awoke to the fact that something had happened Billy Byrne was fifty miles west of Joliet, bowling along aboard a fast Santa Fe freight.
- "Isaiah", Holy Bible King James Version, 30:12-13:
Translations
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Noun
wherefore (plural wherefores)
- An intent or purpose; a why.
- 1996, Richard Bausch, Good evening Mr. & Mrs. America, and all the ships at sea, page 72:
- They want their money without reference to the hows and wherefores.
- 1595, William Shakespeare, A Comedy of Errors
- Every why hath a wherefore.
Derived terms
See also
- (about): hereabout, thereabout, whereabout
- (abouts): hereabouts, thereabouts, whereabouts
- (after): hereafter, thereafter, whereafter
- (again): thereagain
- (against): hereagainst, thereagainst, whereagainst
- (among): hereamong, thereamong, whereamong
- (amongst): thereamongst, whereamongst
- (around): therearound, wherearound
- (as): thereas, whereas
- (at): hereat, thereat, whereat
- (before): herebefore, therebefore
- (beside): therebeside
- (between): therebetween, wherebetween
- (by): hereby, thereby, whereby
- (for): herefor, therefor, wherefor
- (fore): herefore, therefore, wherefore
- (from): herefrom, therefrom, wherefrom
- (hence): herehence, therehence
- (in): herein, therein, wherein
- (in after): hereinafter, thereinafter, whereinafter
- (in before): hereinbefore, thereinbefore, whereinbefore
- (into): hereinto, thereinto, whereinto
- (of): hereof, thereof, whereof
- (on): hereon, thereon, whereon
- (out): hereout, thereout, whereout
- (to): hereto, thereto, whereto
- (tofore): heretofore, theretofore, wheretofore
- (under): hereunder, thereunder, whereunder
- (unto): hereunto, thereunto, whereunto
- (upon): hereupon, thereupon, whereupon
- (with): herewith, therewith, wherewith
- (withal): herewithal, therewithal, wherewithal
References
- ^ Gary Martin (1997–) “O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?”, in The Phrase Finder, retrieved 26 February 2017.
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