Etymology : Middle English, from Old English hu; akin to Old High German hwuo how, Old English hwA who; more at WHO
Pronunciation : hau
Function : adverb
Date : before 12th century
1. adin what way?, in what manner?, by what means?; to what extent?. how\how\ , adv. [oe. how, hou, hu, hwu, as. h , from the same root as hwā, hw?t, who, what, pron. interrog.; akin to os. hwōw, d. hoe, cf. g. wie how, goth. hwē wherewith, hwaiwa how. ?182. see:
who, and cf. why.].
2. in what manner or way; by what means or process. how can a man be born when he is old?.
3. 2. to what degree or extent, number or amount; in what proportion; by what measure or quality. o, how love i thy law! it is my meditation all the day. cxix.
4. by how much they would diminish the present extent of the sea, so much they would impair the fertility, and fountains, and rivers of the earth.
5. for what reason; from what cause. how now, my love! why is your cheek so pale?.
6. in what state, condition, or plight. how, and with what reproach, shall i return?.
7. by what name, designation, or title. how art thou called?.
8. at what price; how dear. [obs.] how a score of ewes now?note: how is used in each sense, interrogatively, interjectionally, and relatively; it is also often employed to emphasize an interrogation or exclamation. "how are the mighty fallen!" i.
9. sometimes, also, it is used as a noun; -- as, the how, the when, the wherefore. let me beg you -- don't say "how?" for "what?" olmes.
10. In what manner or way; by what means or process.
11. To what degree or extent, number or amount; in what proportion; by what measure or quality.
12. For what reason; from what cause.
13. In what state, condition, or plight.
14. By what name, designation, or title.
15. At what price; how dear. to what extent or amount or degree; "how tall is she?" in what way or manner or by what means ; "how did you catch the snake?"; "he told us how he did it"; "however did you get here so soon?".
16. 1. You use how to ask about the way in which something happens or is done. How do I make payments into my account? How do you manage to keep the place so tidy? How are you going to plan for the future? How is also a conjunction. I don't want to know how he died I didn't know how to tell you.
17. You use how after certain adjectives and verbs to introduce a statement or fact, often something that you remember or expect other people to know about. It's amazing how people collect so much stuff over the years It's important to become acutely aware of how your eating ties in with your stress level.
18. You use how to ask questions about the quantity or degree of something. How much money are we talking about? How many full-time staff have we got? How long will you be staying? How old is your son now? How fast were you driving? He was asked how serious the situation had become.
19. You use how when you are asking someone whether something was successful or enjoyable. How was your trip down to Orlando? I wonder how Sam got on with him.
20. You use how to ask about someone's health or to find out someone's news. Hi! How are you doing? How's Rosie? How's the job?.
21. formulae `How do you do' is a polite way of greeting someone when you meet them for the first time.
22. emphasis You use how to emphasize the degree to which something is true. I didn't realize how heavy that shopping was going to be Franklin told them all how happy he was to be in Britain again.
23. emphasis You use how in exclamations to emphasize an adjective, adverb, or statement. How strange that something so simple as a walk on the beach could suddenly mean so much.
24. disapproval You use how in expressions such as `How can you' and `How could you' to indicate that you disapprove of what someone has done or that you find it hard to believe. How can you drink so much beer, Luke? How could he be so indiscreet?.
25. You use how in expressions such as `how about' or `how would you like' when you are making an offer or a suggestion. How about a cup of coffee? You want Jeannie to make the appointment for you? How about the end of next week?.
26. If you ask someone `How about you?' you are asking them what they think or want. Well, I enjoyed that. How about you two?.
27. You use how about to introduce a new subject which you think is relevant to the conversation you have been having. Are your products and services competitive? How about marketing?.
28. You ask `How come?' or `How so?' when you are surprised by something and are asking why it happened or was said. `They don't say a single word to each other.' --- `How come?'.