Adjacent Words

Which definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WHICH, pron. relative or substitute. [I have not found this word in any other language. I think it may be from the root of quick. See What and Wight.]
1. A word called a relative or pronoun relative, because it relates to another word or thing, usually to some word that precedes it in the sentence. I call it also a substitute, as it supplies the place of a noun, or of an adjective, or of a sentence or clause. 1. The garden which I cultivate, that is , the garden, which garden I cultivate. 2. We are bound to obey all the divine commands, which we cannot do without divine aid. Here which represents the words, obey the divine commands. 3. You declared him to be innocent, which he is not. Here which stands for innocent. In the foregoing uses, which is not used int eh masculine gender, that is, it does not in modern usage represent a person.
2. Which is much used in asking questions, for the purpose of obtaining the designation of a particular person or thing by the answer, and in this use, it is of the masculine as well as of the neuter gender. There are two or three things to be done; which shall I do first? Which man is it?
Which of you convinceth me of sin? John 8.
For which of those works do ye stone me? John 10.
3. That which. Take which you will, that is, take any one of the whole.
The which, by the which. The use of the before which, is obsolete.

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, of what kind, which, from Old English hwilc; akin to Old High German wil?h of what kind, which, Old English hw? who, gel?k like — more at who, like Date: before 12th century 1. being what one or ones out of a group — used as an interrogative <which tie should I wear> <kept a record of which employees took their vacations in July> 2. whichever <it will not fit, turn it which way you like> 3. — used as a function word to introduce a nonrestrictive relative clause and to modify a noun in that clause and to refer together with that noun to a word or word group in a preceding clause or to an entire preceding clause or sentence or longer unit of discourse <in German, which language might…have been the medium of transmission — Thomas Pyles> <that this city is a rebellious city… : for which cause was this city destroyed — Ezra
4:15 (Authorized Version)> II. pronoun Date: before 12th century 1. what one or ones out of a group — used as an interrogative <which of those houses do you live in> <which of you want tea and which want lemonade> <he is swimming or canoeing, I don't know which> 2. whichever <take which you like> 3. — used as a function word to introduce a relative clause; used in any grammatical relation except that of a possessive; used especially in reference to animals, inanimate objects, groups, or ideas <the bonds which represent the debt — G. B. Robinson> <the Samnite tribes, which settled south and southeast of Rome — Ernst Pulgram> — used freely in reference to persons as recently as the 17th century <our Father which art in heaven — Matthew
6:9(Authorized Version)>, and still occasionally so used but usually with some implication of emphasis on the function or role of the person rather than on the person as such <chiefly they wanted husbands, which they got easily — Lynn White> — used by speakers on all educational levels and by many reputable writers, though disapproved by some grammarians, in reference to an idea expressed by a word or group of words that is not necessarily a noun or noun phrase <he resigned that post, after which he engaged in ranching — Current Biography> Usage: see that IV

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & pron. --interrog.adj. asking for choice from a definite set of alternatives (which John do you mean?; say which book you prefer; which way shall we go?). --rel.adj. being the one just referred to; and this or these (ten years, during which time they admitted nothing; a word of advice, which action is within your power, will set things straight). --interrog.pron. 1 which person or persons (which of you is responsible?). 2 which thing or things (say which you prefer). --rel.pron. (poss. of which, whose) 1 which thing or things, usu. introducing a clause not essential for identification (cf. THAT pron. 7) (the house, which is empty, has been damaged). 2 used in place of that after in or that (there is the house in which I was born; that which you have just seen). Phrases and idioms: which is which a phrase used when two or more persons or things are difficult to distinguish from each other. Etymology: OE hwilc f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Which Which, pron. [OE. which, whilk, AS. hwilc, hwylc, hwelc, from the root of hw[=a] who + l[=i]c body; hence properly, of what sort or kind; akin to OS. hwilik which, OFries. hwelik, D. welk, G. welch, OHG. wel[=i]h, hwel[=i]h, Icel. hv[=i]l[=i]kr, Dan. & Sw. hvilken, Goth. hwileiks, hw?leiks; cf. L. qualis. ????. See Who, and Like, a., and cf. Such.] 1. Of what sort or kind; what; what a; who. [Obs.] And which they weren and of what degree. --Chaucer. 2. A interrogative pronoun, used both substantively and adjectively, and in direct and indirect questions, to ask for, or refer to, an individual person or thing among several of a class; as, which man is it? which woman was it? which is the house? he asked which route he should take; which is best, to live or to die? See the Note under What, pron., 1. Which of you convinceth me of sin? --John viii. 46. 3. A relative pronoun, used esp. in referring to an antecedent noun or clause, but sometimes with reference to what is specified or implied in a sentence, or to a following noun or clause (generally involving a reference, however, to something which has preceded). It is used in all numbers and genders, and was formerly used of persons. And when thou fail'st -- as God forbid the hour! -- Must Edward fall, which peril heaven forfend! --Shak. God . . . rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. --Gen. ii. 2. Our Father, which art in heaven. --Matt. vi. 9. The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. --1 Cor. iii. 17. 4. A compound relative or indefinite pronoun, standing for any one which, whichever, that which, those which, the . . . which, and the like; as, take which you will. Note: The which was formerly often used for which. The expressions which that, which as, were also sometimes used by way of emphasis. Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? --James ii. 7. Note: Which, referring to a series of preceding sentences, or members of a sentence, may have all joined to it adjectively. ``All which, as a method of a proclamation, is very convenient.'' --Carlyle.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. You use which in questions when there are two or more possible answers or alternatives. Which do they want me to do, declare war or surrender?... Which are the ones you really like?... 'You go down that passageway over there.'—'Which one?'... Which vitamin supplements are good value? QUEST 2. You use which to refer to a choice between two or more possible answers or alternatives. I wanted to know which school it was you went to... Scientists have long wondered which parts of the brain are involved in musical tasks. DET • Which is also a conjunction. In her panic she couldn't remember which was Mr Grainger's cabin... There are so many diets on the market, how do you know which to choose? CONJ 3. You use which at the beginning of a relative clause when specifying the thing that you are talking about or when giving more information about it. Soldiers opened fire on a car which failed to stop at an army checkpoint... He's based in Banja Luka, which is the largest city in northern Bosnia... Colic describes a whole variety of conditions in which a horse suffers abdominal pain... PRON 4. You use which to refer back to an idea or situation expressed in a previous sentence or sentences, especially when you want to give your opinion about it. Since we started in September we have raised fifty thousand pounds, which is pretty good going... PRON • Which is also a determiner. The chances are you haven't fully decided what you want from your career at the moment, in which case you're definitely not cut out to be a boss yet! DET: DET sing-n 5. If you cannot tell the difference between two things, you can say that you do not know which is which. They all look so alike to me that I'm never sure which is which... PHRASE: V inflects 6. any which way: see way every which way: see way

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

pron. 1. What one.. 2. That.