Whither

Whither
Whither Whith"er, adv. [OE. whider. AS. hwider; akin to E. where, who; cf. Goth. hvadr[=e] whither. See {Who}, and cf. {Hither}, {Thither}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To what place; -- used interrogatively; as, whither goest thou? ``Whider may I flee?'' --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

Sir Valentine, whither away so fast? --Shak. [1913 Webster]

2. To what or which place; -- used relatively. [1913 Webster]

That no man should know . . . whither that he went. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

We came unto the land whither thou sentest us. --Num. xiii. 27. [1913 Webster]

3. To what point, degree, end, conclusion, or design; whereunto; whereto; -- used in a sense not physical. [1913 Webster]

Nor have I . . . whither to appeal. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

{Any whither}, to any place; anywhere. [Obs.] ``Any whither, in hope of life eternal.'' --Jer. Taylor.

{No whither}, to no place; nowhere. [Obs.] --2 Kings v. 25. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Where.

Usage: {Whither}, {Where}. Whither properly implies motion to place, and where rest in a place. Whither is now, however, to a great extent, obsolete, except in poetry, or in compositions of a grave and serious character and in language where precision is required. Where has taken its place, as in the question, ``Where are you going?'' [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • whither — [hwith′ər, with′ər] adv. [ME whider < OE hwider: see WHAT & HITHER] to what place, point, condition, result, etc.? where?: used to introduce questions [whither are we drifting?] conj. 1. to which place, point, condition, result, etc.: used… …   English World dictionary

  • whither — O.E. hwider, from P.Gmc. *khwi who (see WHO (Cf. who)) + der as in HITHER (Cf. hither) and THITHER (Cf. thither). Cf. Goth. hvadre …   Etymology dictionary

  • whither — archaic or literary ► ADVERB 1) to what place or state? 2) what is the likely future of? 3) to which (with reference to a place). 4) to whatever place. ORIGIN Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • whither — [[t](h)wɪ̱ðə(r)[/t]] QUEST Whither means to where. [LITERARY or OLD FASHIONED] Who are you and whither are you bound? Syn: where CONJ SUBORD Whither is also a conjunction. They knew not whither they went. PRON REL Whither is also a relative… …   English dictionary

  • whither — I. adverb Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hwider; akin to Latin quis who and to Old English hider hither more at who, hither Date: before 12th century 1. to what place < whither will they go > 2. to what situation, position, degree,… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • WHITHER — adv. & conj. archaic adv. 1 to what place, position, or state? 2 (prec. by place etc.) to which (the house whither we were walking). conj. 1 to the or any place to which (go whither you will). 2 and thither (we saw a house, whither we walked).… …   Useful english dictionary

  • whither — 1. adverb To which place. The wagon jolted on, carrying me I knew not whither. 2. conjunction To which place And with the same grave countenance he hurried through his breakfast and drove to the police station, whither the body had been carried.… …   Wiktionary

  • whither — whith|er [ˈwıðə US ər] adv [: Old English; Origin: hwider] 1.) old use to which place = ↑where ▪ the place whither he went 2.) formal used to ask what the future of something will be or how it will develop ▪ Whither socialism? →↑whence …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • whither — adverb old use 1 a word meaning to which , used when talking about places: the place whither he went 2 a word meaning where 3 formal a word used to ask what the future of something will be or how it will develop: Whither socialism? compare whence …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • whither — whence, whither Both words have centuries of history behind them and were once routine in their respective meanings ‘from which place’ and ‘to which place’, but in current use they are regarded as archaic or at least highly formal, although they… …   Modern English usage

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