Nearby Words

Wherefore

[hwair-fawr, -fohr, wair-]

where·fore

[hwair-fawr, -fohr, wair-]
adverb
1.
Archaic. for what? why?
2.
for that cause or reason: Wherefore let us be grateful.
noun
3.
the cause or reason: to study the whys and wherefores of a situation.

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Wherefore is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

Origin:
1150–1200; Middle English; see where, for

where, wherefore (see usage note at where).


2. See therefore.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
wherefore (ˈwɛəˌfɔː)
 
n
1.  (usually plural) an explanation or reason (esp in the phrase the whys and wherefores)
 
adv
2.  archaic for what reason? why?
 
sentence connector
3.  archaic, formal or for which reason: used as an introductory word in legal preambles

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

wherefore

see whys and wherefores.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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