W — When to Whet (Part 2 of 7)

All the words of this class, whence, where, whither, whereabouts, etc., are occasionally used as pronouns by a harsh construction.

O, how unlike the place from whence they fell?

Milton.

From whence, though a pleonasm, is fully authorized by the use of good writers.

From whence come wars and fightings among you?

James iv. 1.

Of whence, also a pleonasm, has become obsolete.

Whenceever
(Whence*ev"er) adv. & conj. Whencesoever. [R.]

Whenceforth
(Whence`forth") adv. From, or forth from, what or which place; whence. [Obs.] Spenser.

Whencesoever
(Whence`so*ev"er) adv. & conj. From what place soever; from what cause or source soever.

Any idea, whencesoever we have it.

Locke.

Whene'er
(When*e'er) adv. & conj. Whenever.

Whenever
(When*ev"er) adv. & conj. At whatever time. "Whenever that shall be." Milton.

Whennes
(When"nes) adv. Whence. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Whensoever
(When`so*ev"er) adv. & conj. At what time soever; at whatever time; whenever. Mark xiv. 7.

Wher
(Wher Where) pron. & conj. [See Whether.] Whether. [Sometimes written whe'r.] [Obs.] Piers Plowman.

Men must enquire
Wher she be wise or sober or dronkelewe.

Chaucer.

Where
(Where) adv. [OE. wher, whar, AS. hwr; akin to D. waar, OS. hwr, OHG. hwar, war, wa, G. wo, Icel. and Sw. hvar, Dan. hvor, Goth. hwar, and E. who; cf. Skr. karhi when. &radic182. See Who, and cf. There.]

1. At or in what place; hence, in what situation, position, or circumstances; — used interrogatively.

God called unto Adam, . . . Where art thou?

Gen. iii. 9.

See the Note under What, pron., 1.

2. At or in which place; at the place in which; hence, in the case or instance in which; — used relatively.

She visited that place where first she was so happy.

Sir P. Sidney.

Where I thought the remnant of mine age
Should have been cherished by her childlike duty.

Shak.

Where one on his side fights, thousands will fly.

Shak.

But where he rode one mile, the dwarf ran four.

Sir W. Scott.