WHO

Pronoun

Who

Honorific alternative letter-case form of who, sometimes used when referring to God or another important figure who is understood from context.

Proper noun

Who

(fandom slang) The television show Doctor Who.

Anagrams

• How, how

Etymology

Pronoun

who singular or plural, nominative case (objective whom, who, possessive whose)

(interrogative) What person or people; which person or people; asks for the identity of someone. (used in a direct or indirect question)

(interrogative) What is one's position; asks whether someone deserves to say or do something.

(relative) The person or people that.

(relative) Whoever, he who, they who.

Usage notes

• When “who” (or the other relative pronouns “that” and “which”) is used as the subject of a relative clause, the verb agrees with the antecedent of the pronoun. Thus “I who am...”, “He who is...”, “You who are...”, etc.

• Formerly sometimes with partitive of, where which is ordinarily used

Noun

who (plural whos)

A person under discussion; a question of which person.

Anagrams

• How, how

Proper noun

WHO

Initialism of World Health Organization.

Anagrams

• How, how

Source: Wiktionary


Who, pron. [Possess. whose; object. Whom.] Etym: [OE. who, wha, AS. hwa, interrogative pron., neut. hwæt; akin to OFries. hwa, neut. hwet, OS. hwe, neut. hwat, D. wie, neut. wat, G. wer, neut.was, OHG. wer, hwer, neut. waz, hwaz, Icel. hvat, neut., Dan. hvo, neut. hvad, Sw. ho, hvem, neut. hvad, Goth. hwas, fem. hwo, neut. hwa, Lith. kas, Ir. & Gael. co, W. pwy, L. quod, neuter of qui, Gr. po`teros whether, Skr. kas. sq. root182. Cf. How, Quantity, Quorum, Quote, Ubiquity, What, When, Where, Whether, Which, Whither, Whom, Why.]

1. Originally, an interrogative pronoun, later, a relative pronoun also; -- used always substantively, and either as singular or plural. See the Note under What, pron., 1. As interrogative pronouns, who and whom ask the question: What or which person or persons Who and whom, as relative pronouns (in the sense of that), are properly used of persons (corresponding to which, as applied to things), but are sometimes, less properly and now rarely, used of animals, plants, etc. Who and whom, as compound relatives, are also used especially of persons, meaning the person that; the persons that; the one that; whosoever. "Let who will be President." Macaulay. [He] should not tell whose children they were. Chaucer. There thou tell'st of kings, and who aspire; Who fall, who rise, who triumph, who do moan. Daniel. Adders who with cloven tongues Do hiss into madness. Shak. Whom I could pity thus forlorn. Milton. How hard is our fate, who serve in the state. Addison. Who cheapens life, abates the fear of death. Young. The brace of large greyhounds, who were the companions of his sports. Sir W. Scott.

2. One; any; one. [Obs., except in the archaic phrase, as who should say.] As who should say, it were a very dangerous matter if a man in any point should be found wiser than his forefathers were. Robynson (More's Utopia).

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 April 2024

GRADUAL

(noun) (Roman Catholic Church) an antiphon (usually from the Book of Psalms) immediately after the epistle at Mass


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