- Where
- Where Where, adv. [OE. wher, whar, AS. hw?r; akin to D. waar,
OS. hw?r, OHG. hw[=a]r, w[=a]r, w[=a], G. wo, Icel. and Sw.
hvar, Dan. hvor, Goth. hwar, and E. who; cf. Skr. karhi when.
[root]182. See {Who}, and cf. {There}.]
[1913 Webster]
1. At or in what place; hence, in what situation, position,
or circumstances; -- used interrogatively.
[1913 Webster]
God called unto Adam, . . . Where art thou? --Gen. iii. 9. [1913 Webster]
Note: See the Note under {What}, pron., 1. [1913 Webster]
2. At or in which place; at the place in which; hence, in the case or instance in which; -- used relatively. [1913 Webster]
She visited that place where first she was so happy. --Sir P. Sidney. [1913 Webster]
Where I thought the remnant of mine age Should have been cherished by her childlike duty. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
Where one on his side fights, thousands will fly. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
But where he rode one mile, the dwarf ran four. --Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster]
3. To what or which place; hence, to what goal, result, or issue; whither; -- used interrogatively and relatively; as, where are you going? [1913 Webster]
But where does this tend? --Goldsmith. [1913 Webster]
Lodged in sunny cleft, Where the gold breezes come not. --Bryant. [1913 Webster]
Note: Where is often used pronominally with or without a preposition, in elliptical sentences for a place in which, the place in which, or what place. [1913 Webster]
The star . . . stood over where the young child was. --Matt. ii. 9. [1913 Webster]
The Son of man hath not where to lay his head. --Matt. viii. 20. [1913 Webster]
Within about twenty paces of where we were. --Goldsmith. [1913 Webster]
Where did the minstrels come from? --Dickens. [1913 Webster]
Note: Where is much used in composition with preposition, and then is equivalent to a pronoun. Cf. {Whereat}, {Whereby}, {Wherefore}, {Wherein}, etc. [1913 Webster]
{Where away} (Naut.), in what direction; as, where away is the land? [1913 Webster]
Syn: See {Whither}. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.