Adjacent Words

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WHAT, pronoun relative or substitute. [G., L. See Wight.]
1. That which. Say what you will, is the same as say that which you will.
2. Which part. Consider what is due to nature, and what to art or labor.
3. What is the substitute for a sentence or clause of a sentence. I tell thee what, corporal, I could tear her. Here what relates to the last clause, I could tear her; this is what I tell you.
4. What is used as an adjective, of both genders, often in specifying sorts or particulars. See what colors this silk exhibits. I know what qualities you desire in a friend; that is, I know the qualities which you desire.
5. What is much used in asking questions. What sort of character is this? What poem is this? What man is this we see coming?
6. What time, at the time or on the day when.
What time the morn mysterious visions brings.
7. To how great a degree.
What a partial judges are our love and hate!
8. Whatever.
Whether it was the shortness of his foresight, the strength of his will--or what it was--
9. Some part, or some. The year before, he had so used the matter, that what by force, what by policy, he had taken from the Christians above thirty castles; that is, he had taken above thirty castles; that is, he had taken above thirty castles, a part or some by force, a part or some by policy; or what may be interpreted partly. Sometimes what has no verb to govern it, and it must be considered as adverbially used. What with carrying apples and fuel, he finds himself in a hurry; that is, partly, in part.
10. What is sometimes used elliptically for what is this, or how is this?
What! Could ye not watch with me one hour? Matthew 26.
11. What is used interrogatively and elliptically, as equivalent to what will be the consequence? What will follow? As in the phrase, what if I undertake this business myself?
What though, that is, grant this or that; allow it to be so.
What ho, an exclamation of calling.
WHAT, n. Fare; things; matter. [Not in use.]

Merriam Webster's

I. pronoun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hwζt, neuter of hw? who — more at who Date: before 12th century 1. a. (1) — used as an interrogative expressing inquiry about the identity, nature, or value of an object or matter <what is this> <what is wealth without friends> <what does he earn> <what hath God wrought> (2) — often used to ask for repetition of an utterance or part of an utterance not properly heard or understood <you said what> b. (1) archaic who 1 — used as an interrogative expressing inquiry about the identity of a person (2) — used as an interrogative expressing inquiry about the character, nature, occupation, position, or role of a person <what do you think I am, a fool> <what is she, that all our swains commend her — Shakespeare> c. — used as an exclamation expressing surprise or excitement and frequently introducing a question <what, no breakfast> d. — used in expressions directing attention to a statement that the speaker is about to make <you know what> e. (1) — used at the end of a question to express inquiry about additional possibilities <is it raining, or snowing, or what> (2) — used with or at the end of a question usually in expectation of agreement <is this exciting, or what> f. chiefly British — used at the end of an utterance as a form of tag question <a clever play, what> 2. chiefly dialect that IV,1, which 3, who 3 3. a. that which ; the one or ones that <no income but what he gets from his writings> — sometimes used in reference to a clause or phrase that is yet to come or is not yet complete <gave also, what is more valuable, understanding> b. the thing or things that <what you need is a vacation> <what angered us was the tone of the article> 4. a. whatever 1a <say what you will> b. obsolete whoever II. adverb Date: before 12th century 1. obsolete why 2. in what respect ; how <what does he care> 3. — used to introduce prepositional phrases in parallel construction or a prepositional phrase that expresses cause and usually has more than one object; used principally before phrases beginning with with <what with unemployment increasing> <what with the war, what with the sweat, what with the gallows, and what with poverty, I am custom-shrunk — Shakespeare> III. adjective Date: 13th century 1. a. — used as an interrogative expressing inquiry about the identity, nature, or value of a person, object, or matter <what minerals do we export> b. how remarkable or striking for good or bad qualities — used especially in exclamatory utterances and dependent clauses <what mountains> <remember what fun we had> <what a suggestion> <what a charming girl> 2. a. (1) whatever 1a (2) any <ornament of what description soever> b. the…that ; as much or as many…as <rescued what survivors they found>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj., pron., & adv. --interrog.adj. 1 asking for a choice from an indefinite number or for a statement of amount, number, or kind (what books have you read?; what news have you?). 2 colloq. = WHICH interrog.adj. (what book have you chosen?). --adj. (usu. in exclam.) how great or remarkable (what luck!). --rel.adj. the or any ... that (will give you what help I can). --pron. (corresp. to the functions of the adj.) 1 what thing or things? (what is your name?; I don't know what you mean). 2 (asking for a remark to be repeated) = what did you say? 3 asking for confirmation or agreement of something not completely understood (you did what?; what, you really mean it?). 4 how much (what you must have suffered!). 5 (as rel.pron.) that or those which; a or the or any thing which (what followed was worse; tell me what you think). --adv. to what extent (what does it matter?). Phrases and idioms: what about what is the news or position or your opinion of (what about me?; what about a game of tennis?). what-d'you-call-it (or what's-its-name) a substitute for a name not recalled. what ever what at all or in any way (what ever do you mean?) (see also WHATEVER). what for colloq. 1 for what reason? 2 a severe reprimand (esp. give a person what for). what have you colloq. (prec. by or) anything else similar. what if? 1 what would result etc. if. 2 what would it matter if. what is more and as an additional point; moreover. what next? colloq. what more absurd, shocking, or surprising thing is possible? what not (prec. by and) other similar things. what of? what is the news concerning? what of it? why should that be considered significant? what's-his (or -its) -name = what-d'you-call-it. what's what colloq. what is useful or important etc. what with colloq. because of (usu. several things). Etymology: OE hwæt f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

What What, pron., a., & adv. [AS. hw[ae]t, neuter of hw[=a] who; akin to OS. hwat what, OFries. hwet, D. & LG. wat, G. was, OHG. waz, hwaz, Icel. hvat, Sw. & Dan. hvad, Goth. hwa. [root]182. See Who.] 1. As an interrogative pronoun, used in asking questions regarding either persons or things; as, what is this? what did you say? what poem is this? what child is lost? What see'st thou in the ground? --Shak. What is man, that thou art mindful of him? --Ps. viii. 4. What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him! --Matt. viii. 27. Note: Originally, what, when, where, which, who, why, etc., were interrogatives only, and it is often difficult to determine whether they are used as interrogatives or relatives. What in this sense, when it refers to things, may be used either substantively or adjectively; when it refers to persons, it is used only adjectively with a noun expressed, who being the pronoun used substantively. 2. As an exclamatory word: (a) Used absolutely or independently; -- often with a question following. ``What welcome be thou.'' --Chaucer. What, could ye not watch with me one hour? --Matt. xxvi. 40. (b) Used adjectively, meaning how remarkable, or how great; as, what folly! what eloquence! what courage! What a piece of work is man! --Shak. O what a riddle of absurdity! --Young. Note: What in this use has a or an between itself and its noun if the qualitative or quantitative importance of the object is emphasized. (c) Sometimes prefixed to adjectives in an adverbial sense, as nearly equivalent to how; as, what happy boys! What partial judges are our love and hate! --Dryden. 3. As a relative pronoun: (a) Used substantively with the antecedent suppressed, equivalent to that which, or those [persons] who, or those [things] which; -- called a compound relative. With joy beyond what victory bestows. --Cowper. I'm thinking Captain Lawton will count the noses of what are left before they see their whaleboats. --Cooper. What followed was in perfect harmony with this beginning. --Macaulay. I know well . . . how little you will be disposed to criticise what comes to you from me. --J. H. Newman. (b) Used adjectively, equivalent to the . . . which; the sort or kind of . . . which; rarely, the . . . on, or at, which. See what natures accompany what colors. --Bacon. To restrain what power either the devil or any earthly enemy hath to work us woe. --Milton. We know what master laid thy keel, What workmen wrought thy ribs of steel. --Longfellow. (c) Used adverbially in a sense corresponding to the adjectival use; as, he picked what good fruit he saw. 4. Whatever; whatsoever; what thing soever; -- used indefinitely. ``What after so befall.'' --Chaucer. Whether it were the shortness of his foresight, the strength of his will, . . . or what it was. --Bacon. 5. Used adverbially, in part; partly; somewhat; -- with a following preposition, especially, with, and commonly with repetition. What for lust [pleasure] and what for lore. --Chaucer. Thus, what with the war, what with the sweat, what with the gallows, and what with poverty, I am custom shrunk. --Shak. The year before he had so used the matter that what by force, what by policy, he had taken from the Christians above thirty small castles. --Knolles. Note: In such phrases as I tell you what, what anticipates the following statement, being elliptical for what I think, what it is, how it is, etc. ``I tell thee what, corporal Bardolph, I could tear her.'' --Shak. Here what relates to the last clause, ``I could tear her;'' this is what I tell you. What not is often used at the close of an enumeration of several particulars or articles, it being an abbreviated clause, the verb of which, being either the same as that of the principal clause or a general word, as be, say, mention, enumerate, etc., is omitted. ``Men hunt, hawk, and what not.'' --Becon. ``Some dead puppy, or log, orwhat not.'' --C. Kingsley. ``Battles, tournaments, hunts, and what not.'' --De Quincey. Hence, the words are often used in a general sense with the force of a substantive, equivalent to anything you please, a miscellany, a variety, etc. From this arises the name whatnot, applied to an ['e]tag[`e]re, as being a piece of furniture intended for receiving miscellaneous articles of use or ornament.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

What What, n. Something; thing; stuff. [Obs.] And gave him for to feed, Such homely what as serves the simple ?lown. --Spenser.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

What What, interrog. adv. Why? For what purpose? On what account? [Obs.] What should I tell the answer of the knight. --Chaucer. But what do I stand reckoning upon advantages and gains lost by the misrule and turbulency of the prelates? What do I pick up so thriftily their scatterings and diminishings of the meaner subject? --Milton.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. You use what in questions when you ask for specific information about something that you do not know. What do you want?... 'Has something happened?'—'Indeed it has.'—'What?'... Hey! What are you doing? QUEST • What is also a determiner. What time is it?... 'The heater works.'—'What heater?'... What kind of poetry does he like? DET 2. You use what after certain words, especially verbs and adjectives, when you are referring to a situation that is unknown or has not been specified. You can imagine what it would be like driving a car into a brick wall at 30 miles an hour... I want to know what happened to Norman... Do you know what those idiots have done?... We had never seen anything like it before and could not see what to do next... She turned scarlet from embarrassment, once she realized what she had done. CONJ • What is also a determiner. I didn't know what college I wanted to go to... I didn't know what else to say. ...an inspection to ascertain to what extent colleges are responding to the needs of industry. DET 3. You use what at the beginning of a clause in structures where you are changing the order of the information to give special emphasis to something. What precisely triggered off yesterday's riot is still unclear... What I wanted, more than anything, was a few days' rest... CONJ [emphasis] 4. You use what in expressions such as what is called and what amounts to when you are giving a description of something. She had been in what doctors described as an irreversible vegetative state for five years... CONJ 5. You use what to indicate that you are talking about the whole of an amount that is available to you. He drinks what is left in his glass as if it were water... CONJ • What is also a determiner. They had had to use what money they had. = whatever DET 6. You say 'What?' to tell someone who has indicated that they want to speak to you that you have heard them and are inviting them to continue. (SPOKEN) 'Dad?'—'What?'—'Can I have the car tonight?' CONVENTION [formulae] 7. You say 'What?' when you ask someone to repeat the thing that they have just said because you did not hear or understand it properly. 'What?' is more informal and less polite than expressions such as 'Pardon?' and 'Excuse me?'. (SPOKEN) 'They could paint this place,' she said. 'What?' he asked. CONVENTION [formulae] 8. You say 'What' to express surprise. 'Adolphus Kelling, I arrest you on a charge of trafficking in narcotics.'—'What?' CONVENTION [feelings] 9. You use what in exclamations to emphasize an opinion or reaction. What a horrible thing to do... What a busy day. PREDET [emphasis] • What is also a determiner. What ugly things; throw them away, throw them away... What great news, Jakki. DET 10. You use what to indicate that you are making a guess about something such as an amount or value. It's, what, eleven years or more since he's seen him... ADV: ADV n 11. You say guess what or do you know what to introduce a piece of information which is surprising, which is not generally known, or which you want to emphasize. Guess what? I'm going to dinner at Mrs. Combley's tonight... CONVENTION 12. In conversation, you say or what? after a question as a way of stating an opinion forcefully and showing that you expect other people to agree. Look at that moon. Is that beautiful or what?... Am I wasting my time here, or what? PHRASE: cl PHR [emphasis] 13. You say so what? or what of it? to indicate that the previous remark seems unimportant, uninteresting, or irrelevant to you. 'I skipped off school today,'—'So what? What's so special about that?'... 'You're talking to yourself.'—'Well, what of it?' = so CONVENTION [feelings] 14. You say 'Tell you what' to introduce a suggestion or offer. Tell you what, let's stay here another day. PHRASE: PHR cl 15. You use what about at the beginning of a question when you make a suggestion, offer, or request. What about going out with me tomorrow?... PHRASE: PHR n/-ing 16. You use what about or what of when you introduce a new topic or a point which seems relevant to a previous remark. Now you've talked about work on daffodils, what about other commercially important flowers, like roses?... PHRASE: PHR group/cl 17. You say what about a particular person or thing when you ask someone to explain why they have asked you about that person or thing. 'This thing with the Corbett woman.'—'Oh, yeah. What about her?' PHRASE: PHR n 18. You say what have you at the end of a list in order to refer generally to other things of the same kind. So many things are unsafe these days–milk, cranberry sauce, what have you... My great-grandfather made horseshoes and nails and what have you. PHRASE: n PHR, n and/or PHR [vagueness] 19. You say what if at the beginning of a question when you ask about the consequences of something happening, especially something undesirable. What if this doesn't work out?... PHRASE: PHR cl 20. If you know what's what, you know the important things that need to be known about a situation. You have to know what's what and when to draw the line... You should come across the river with us. Then you will really see what's what. PHRASE: PHR after v 21. what's more: see more

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

pron. 1. That which. 2. The sort of, the kind of. 3. Which (out of many, or of many kinds). 4. How, how great, how remarkable. 5. In part, partly. 6. Whatever, whatsoever, what thing soever.