which
Etymology
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Etymology
From Middle English which, hwic, wilche, hwilch, whilk, hwilc, from Old English hwelċ, from Proto-Germanic *hwilīkaz, derived from *hwaz, equivalent to who + like.
Pronunciation Determiner- (interrogative) What, of those mentioned or implied.
- Which song shall we play?
- They couldn't decide which song to play.
- Which one is bigger?
- Show me which one is bigger.
- The/Any ... that; whichever.
- Take which one you want.
- You may go which way you please.
- (relative, formal outside certain phrases) Designates the one(s) previously mentioned.
- 1860, Alfred Henry Forrester, Fairy footsteps, or, Lessons from legends, with illustr., by Alfred Crowquill, page 166 (Google Books view) ↗:
- After glaring upon the smoking philosopher, who took his misfortunes with such positive nonchalance, he growled out an oath in German, which language is particularly adapted for growling in; then, raising his hand, he dealt him a blow on his pipe, which sent it, like a rocket, into the midst of the players.
- He once owned a painting of the house, which painting would later be stolen.
- Yesterday, I met three men with long beards, which men I remember vividly.
- For several seconds he sat in silence, during which time the tea and sandwiches arrived.
- I'm thinking of getting a new car, in which case I'd get a red one.
- 1860, Alfred Henry Forrester, Fairy footsteps, or, Lessons from legends, with illustr., by Alfred Crowquill, page 166 (Google Books view) ↗:
- French: quel, quelle, quels, quelles
- German: welcher, welche, welches, welche
- Italian: quale
- Portuguese: qual
- Russian: кото́рый
- Spanish: cuál, cuáles
- French: lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles
- German: welcher, welche, welches, welche
- Italian: il quale, la quale, i quali, le quali, che
- Portuguese: qual, o qual, os quais, a qual, as quais
- Russian: кото́рый
- Spanish: cual, cuál, cuales, cuáles
- (interrogative) What one or ones (of those mentioned or implied).
- Which is which?
- By now, you must surely know which is which.
- Which is bigger, the red one or the blue one?
- I'm unable to determine which is bigger.
- Which of these do you want to keep?
- (not in common use) The/Any ones that; whichever.
- Please take which you please.
- (relative) In a non-restrictive relative clause, referring to something previously mentioned.
- Referring to a preceding noun.
- Flour contains starch, which is a type of carbohydrate.
- I found my camera, which I thought I'd lost, under the bed.
- I entered the room, at the far end of which was a small table.
- 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC ↗:
- Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. […] A silver snaffle on a heavy leather watch guard which connected the pockets of his corduroy waistcoat, together with a huge gold stirrup in his Ascot tie, sufficiently proclaimed his tastes.
- 1913, Mrs. [Marie] Belloc Lowndes, chapter II, in The Lodger, London: Methuen, →OCLC ↗; republished in Novels of Mystery: The Lodger; The Story of Ivy; What Really Happened, New York, N.Y.: Longmans, Green and Co., […], [1933], →OCLC ↗, page 0091 ↗:
- There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.
- Referring to a preceding statement.
- The front door was open, which concerned me.
- He had to leave, which was very difficult.
- She saved my life, for which I am eternally grateful.
- Referring to a preceding noun.
- (relative, sometimes proscribed, see usage notes) In a restrictive relative clause, referring to a noun previously mentioned.
- This is the letter which I received.
- This is the letter in which he explains his decision.
- (mostly, archaic) Used of people.
- 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC ↗, Acts:
- The men which acompanyed him on his waye stode amased, for they herde a voyce, butt sawe no man.
- every which way
- every which where
- which is which
- French: quel
- German: welcher, welche, welches, welche
- Italian: quale
- Portuguese: qual
- Russian: кото́рый
- Spanish: cuál
- French: qui (referring to the subject); que (referring to the object)
- German: der, welcher, was (referring back to a clause)
- Italian: che, cui
- Portuguese: que
- Russian: кото́рый
- Spanish: quien (if a person), que, el cual, la cual
This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.003
