whereof

English

Etymology

From where +‎ of. Compare the parallel formations of Swedish varav and Dutch waarvan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /(h)wɛɹˈʌv/
• IPA^(key): /wɛəɹˈɒv/
• Rhymes: -ɒv, -ʌv

Conjunction

whereof

1. (formal) Of what.
2. (formal) Of which.
   • 1885, Richard F. Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Night 558:

     Then they set somewhat of food before me, whereof I ate my fill, and gave me somewhat of clothes wherewith I clad myself anew and covered my nakedness; after which they took me up into the ship, […]

3. (formal) Of whom.
   • 1886-88, Richard F. Burton, The Supplemental Nights to the Thousand Nights and a Night, Night 547:

     Now one day of the days, […] the Sultan cast his eyes upon her as she stood before him, and said to his Grand Wazir, "This be the very woman whereof I spake to thee yesterday, so do thou straightway bring her before me, that I may see what be her suit and fulfil her need."

4. (archaic) With or by which.

Related terms

• whence

Translations

of what; of which; of whom

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 甚么的 (zh)

• Danish: hvoraf
• Dutch: waarvan (nl)
• Finnish: minkä (fi)
• French: dont (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: wovon (de)
• Latin: unde (la)
• Portuguese: donde (pt)
• Spanish: donde (es)
• Swedish: varav (sv)

Adverb

whereof (not comparable)

1. (archaic) Of what.
   • c. 1596-97 William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act I scene i^[1]:

     In sooth, I know not why I am so sad.

     It wearies me; you say it wearies you;

     But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,

     What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born,

     I am to learn;

     And such a wantwit sadness makes of me,

     That I have much ado to know myself.

   • 1922, Ludwig Wittgenstein, trans. C. K. Ogden, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, proposition 7:

     Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.

2. (archaic) Of which.

References

• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “whereof”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.

See also

Here-, there-, and where- words

• (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

 

Anagrams

• forehew