whither

== English == === Pronunciation === (non-rhotic) (Received Pronunciation) (wine–whine merger) IPA(key): /ˈwɪðəː/, [ˈwɪðəː] (without the wine–whine merger) IPA(key): /ˈʍɪðəː/, [ˈʍɪðəː] (rhotic) (General American) (wine–whine merger) IPA(key): /ˈwɪðɚ/, [ˈwɪðɚ] ~ [ˈwɪðɹ̩] (without the wine–whine merger) IPA(key): /ˈʍɪðɚ/, [ˈʍɪðɚ] ~ [ˈʍɪðɹ̩] Rhymes: -ɪðə(ɹ) Hyphenation: whith‧er Homophone: wither (wine–whine merger) === Etymology 1 === From Middle English whider (“to what place?; into or to which; to what place, where; no matter where, to wherever”), from Old English hwider, hwæder (“to what place, where”), from Proto-Germanic *hwadrê (“to what place, where”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷos (“what; which”), from *kʷ- (the primary interrogative root). ==== Adverb ==== whither (not comparable) (formal, archaic except literary or poetic) Interrogative senses. To what place; where. Antonym: whence (figurative, also humorous) To what (future) cause, condition or state, reason, etc.; where, where next; also (obsolete) to what extent; how far. Relative senses. To which place; also (after a noun denoting a place) to which. To the place in or to which. (generally) In or to any place to which; to whatever place; wherever. Synonym: (archaic) whithersoever ===== Usage notes ===== Not to be confused with whether or wither. Compare the relative adverb whereto. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ===== See also ===== Use the following table to determine which adverb to use in a given context. For example, the word hither can be used to mean “to here”, and whence to mean “from where”. ==== Noun ==== whither (plural whithers) (formal, archaic except literary or poetic) A place to which someone or something goes; also, a condition to which someone or something moves. ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === The verb is borrowed from Scots whidder, whither (“(of the wind) to bluster; to move quickly”), a frequentative form of whid (“(of wind) to gust; to move quickly”), of Scandinavian/North Germanic origin, from Old Norse hviða (“gust of wind”). Related to Middle English hwiþa, whyȝt (“breeze; wind”), Old English hwiþa, hwiþu, hweoþu (“breeze”). The noun is derived from the verb. ==== Verb ==== whither (third-person singular simple present whithers, present participle whithering, simple past and past participle whithered) (UK, dialectal, especially Scotland) (transitive) To cause (someone) to hurry; to hasten, to hurry. To throw (something) forcefully; to hurl; also, to beat, to thrash. (intransitive) To shake (vigorously); to tremble. To move quickly, to rush, to whiz; also, to make a rushing sound; to whizz. Of the wind: to blow loudly and vigorously; to bluster; also, of an animal, etc.: to make a loud noise; to bellow, to roar. ===== Alternative forms ===== wuther ===== Translations ===== ==== Noun ==== whither (plural whithers) (UK, dialectal, especially Scotland) A state of rushed action; a haste, a hurry; also, a state of anger or excitement. A forceful blow or hit. An act of shaking (vigorously); a shiver, a tremble; also, a slight bout of discomfort or illness. The sound of something moving quickly; a rush, a whiz. A gust of wind; a bluster. ===== Alternative forms ===== wuther ===== Translations ===== === References === === Further reading === Joseph Wright, editor (1905), “WHITHER, v., sb.2 and adj.”, in The English Dialect Dictionary: […], volume VI (T–Z, Supplement, Bibliography and Grammar), London: Henry Frowde, […], publisher to the English Dialect Society, […]; New York, N.Y.: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, →OCLC, pages 475–476.