wherefore
English
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wherefore
- /ˈwɛəˌfɔː/ UK
- /ˈweɹˌfɔɹ/ US
- /ˈʍɜːɹˌfɔːɹ/ obsolete
Rhymes with -eə(ɹ)fɔː(ɹ)
Where it comes from
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.
adverb wherefor · wherfore
- Why, for what reason, because of what. Ah, Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? / Denie thy Father, and refuſe thy name, / Or if thou wilt not be but ſworne my loue, / And il'e no longer be a Capulet.
- Therefore; thus. For behold, by the power of his word man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the power of his word. Wherefore, if God being able to speak and the world was, and to speak and man was created, O then, why not able to command the earth, or the workmanship of his hands upon the f
conjunction wherefor · wherfore
- Because of which. Wherefore, thus ſaith the holy one of Iſrael, Becauſe ye deſpise this word, and truſt in oppreſſion and peruerſeneſſe, and ſtay thereon: Therefore this iniquitie ſhalbe to you as a breach ready to fall, ſwelling out in a high wall, whoſe breaking commeth ſuddenly at an inſtant.
noun wherefores · wherefor · wherfore
- An intent or purpose; a why. Ant[ipholus of Syracuse]. Shall I tell you why? / S. Dro. [Dromio of Syracuse] I, ſir, and wherefore; for they ſay, euery why hath a wherefore.
Translations
Talk about this word "wherefore." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/wherefore. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. wherefore. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/wherefore "wherefore." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/wherefore.Cite this
@misc{wherefore_2026,
title = {wherefore},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/wherefore},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
