Link Centre Dictionary

wherefore

whe·re·fore

UK/ˈwɛəˌfɔː/ US/ˈweɹˌfɔɹ/ uncommon archaic formal
adverb (1) noun (1)

adverb

1.

for which reason

  • “wherefore do I receive this honor?”
Synonyms

noun

1.

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase `the whys and wherefores''

Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English wherfor, wherfore, hwarfore, equivalent to where- (“what”) + for. Compare Dutch waarvoor (“what for, wherefore”), German wofür (“for what, what for, why”), Danish and Norwegian hvorfor (“wherefore, why”), Swedish varför (“wherefore, why”). More at where, for.

Phrases

  • 1. Scottish2. from Middle English mid3. old dialectal form
  • why and wherefore

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.