Adjacent Words

Whither definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WHITHER, adv.
1. To what place, interrogatively. Whither goest thou?
Whither away so fast?
2. To what place, absolutely.
I strayd, I knew not whither.
3. To which place, relatively.
Whither when as they came, they fell at words.
4. To what point or degree.
5. Whithersoever.

Merriam Webster's

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, or end <whither will this abuse drive him> II. conjunction Date: before 12th century 1. a. to what place <knew whither to go — Daniel Defoe> b. to what situation, position, degree, or end 2. a. to the place at, in, or to which b. to which place 3. to whatever place

Oxford Reference Dictionary

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). Etymology: OE hwider f. Gmc: cf. WHICH, HITHER, THITHER

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Whither Whith"er, adv. [OE. whider. AS. hwider; akin to E. where, who; cf. Goth. hvadr[=e] whither. See Who, and cf. Hither, Thither.] 1. To what place; -- used interrogatively; as, whither goest thou? ``Whider may I flee?'' --Chaucer. Sir Valentine, whither away so fast? --Shak. 2. To what or which place; -- used relatively. That no man should know . . . whither that he went. --Chaucer. We came unto the land whither thou sentest us. --Num. xiii. 27. 3. To what point, degree, end, conclusion, or design; whereunto; whereto; -- used in a sense not physical. Nor have I . . . whither to appeal. --Milton. 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. 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?''

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Whither means to where. (LITERARY or OLD-FASHIONED) They knew not whither they went. = where QUEST

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

ad. 1. To what place. 2. To which place.