what

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“
He stirred slightly then, in a scarcely audible voice, asked in Russian what the Japanese word was for "good-by."

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Definitions (71)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (22)

  1. pronoun Which thing or which particular one of many: What are you having for dinner? What did she say?
  2. pronoun Which kind, character, or designation: What are these objects?
  3. pronoun One of how much value or significance: What are possessions to a dying man?
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Examples (50)

  • 'Is this what is asked by true friends of liberty, those who only seek that reason and right should have empire over men? —  Critical Miscellanies (Vol. 2 of 3) Essay 3: Condorcet
  • And from that conversation I believe I confirmed still further what was already established as a fact, so far as I was concerned. —  The Return of Peter Grimm Novelised From the Play
  • "Look! Oh, what--what was that The report of a gun, faint but clear, came to their ears. —  Lorraine A romance
  • She told herself over and over again that wealth entailed duties as well as privileges; but she had no clear idea what were the duties so entailed, or what were the privileges. —  Miss Mackenzie
  • She named a baker to Miss Mackenzie, and a dressmaker; and she told her what was the proper price to be paid by the hour for a private brougham or for a public fly. —  Miss Mackenzie
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Etymologies (4)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old English hwæt; see kwo- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (3)

  1. from Middle English what, whet, whæt, quat, qwat, hwat, hwet (genitive whas, whos, dative wham, whom, accusative what, whet), from Anglo-Saxon hwæt (genitive hwæs, dative hwam, hwæm, accusative hwæt) = Old Saxon hwat, huat = OFries. hwet = Dutchwat = Middle Low German Low German wat = Old High German hwaz, waz, Middle High German waz, German was = Icelandic hvat = Danish Swedish hvad = Goth, hwa, what (interrogative and indefinite, also interjectional); = Latin quid, what(indefinite), somewhat, = Zend kad = Sanskrit kat; neuter of the pron. who: see who. Whose is historically the genitive of what not less than of who; and it is still so used (namely, as equivalent to of which), although many authorities object, and it is becoming less common.
  2. from Middle English what; from what, pron.
  3. from Middle English hwat, quick. from Anglo-Saxon hwæt, keen, sharp, bold (= Old Saxon hwat = Icelandic hvatr, keen). Cf. whet.
 

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/hwɑt/
by American Heritage
by Parker Smith

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