Origin of which
usage note for which
The relative pronoun
which refers to inanimate things and to animals:
The house, which we had seen only from a distance, impressed us even more as we approached. The horses which pulled the coach were bay geldings. Formerly,
which referred to persons, but this use, while still heard (
a man which I know ), is nonstandard. Contrary to the teachings of some usage guides,
which introduces both restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses. The “rule” that
which can be used only with nonrestrictive clauses has no basis in fact. In edited prose three-fourths of the clauses in which
which is the relative pronoun are restrictive:
A novel which he later wrote quickly became a bestseller. See also
that.
Words nearby which
wheyey,
wheyface,
wheyish,
whf,
whf.,
which,
which is which,
which way the wind blows,
whichever,
whichsoever,
whichway
British Dictionary definitions for which
which
/ (wɪtʃ) /
determiner
- used with a noun in requesting that its referent be further specified, identified, or distinguished from the other members of a classwhich house did you want to buy?
- (as pronoun)which did you find?
- (used in indirect questions)I wondered which apples were cheaper
- whatever of a class; whicheverbring which car you want
- (as pronoun)choose which of the cars suit you
used in relative clauses with inanimate antecedents
the house, which is old, is in poor repair
as; and that: used in relative clauses with verb phrases or sentences as their antecedents
he died of cancer, which is what I predicted
the which archaic
a longer form of which, often used as a sentence connector
Word Origin for which
Old English
hwelc, hwilc; related to Old High German
hwelīh (German
welch), Old Norse
hvelīkr, Gothic
hvileiks, Latin
quis, quid
undefined which
See
that
Idioms and Phrases with which
which