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why - 6 dictionary results
why
[hwahy, wahy] 
adverb, conjunction, noun, plural whys, interjection –adverb
| 1. | for what? for what reason, cause, or purpose?: Why did you behave so badly? |
–conjunction
| 2. | for what cause or reason: I don't know why he is leaving. |
| 3. | for which; on account of which (usually after reason to introduce a relative clause): the reason why he refused to go. |
| 4. | the reason for which: That is why he returned. |
–noun
| 5. | a question concerning the cause or reason for which something is done, achieved, etc.: a child's unending hows and whys. |
| 6. | the cause or reason: the whys and wherefores of a troublesome situation. |
–interjection
| 7. | (used as an expression of surprise, hesitation, etc., or sometimes a mere expletive): Why, it's all gone! |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To why
| why (hwī, wī) adv. For what purpose, reason, or cause; with what intention, justification, or motive: Why is the door shut? Why do birds sing? conj.
[Middle English, from Old English hwȳ; see kwo- in Indo-European roots.] Usage Note: Many critics have held that why is redundant in the expression the reason why, as in The reason why he accepted the nomination is not clear. While it is true that why could be eliminated from such examples with no loss to the sense, the construction has been used by reputable English writers since the Renaissance. See Usage Note at where. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Why
Why\, adv. [OE. whi, why, AS. hw[=i], hw?, instrumental case of hw[=a], hw[ae]t; akin to Icel. hv[=i] why, Dan. & Sw. hvi; cf. Goth. hw?. ?. See Who.]1. For what cause, reason, or purpose; on what account; wherefore; -- used interrogatively. See the Note under What, pron., 1. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? --Ezek. xxxiii. 11. 2. For which; on account of which; -- used relatively. No ground of enmity between us known Why he should mean me ill or seek to harm. --Milton. Turn the discourse; I have a reason why I would not have you speak so tenderly. --Dryden. 3. The reason or cause for which; that on account of which; on what account; as, I know not why he left town so suddenly; -- used as a compound relative. Note: Why is sometimes used as an interjection or an expletive in expression of surprise or content at a turn of affairs; used also in calling. "Why, Jessica!" --Shak. If her chill heart I can not move, Why, I'll enjoy the very love. --Cowley. Sometimes, also, it is used as a noun. The how and the why and the where. --Goldsmith. For why, because; why. See Forwhy. [Obs. or Colloq.]Why
Why\, n. A young heifer. [Prov. Eng.] --Grose.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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why
O.E. hwi, instrumental case (showing for what purpose or by what means) of hwæt (see what), from P.Gmc. *khwi (cf. O.S. hwi, O.N. hvi), from PIE *qwei, locative of *qwo- "who" (cf. Gk. pei "where"). As an interjection of surprise or to call attention to a statement, recorded from 1519.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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