Etymology : Middle English, of what kind, which, from Old English hwilc; akin to Old High German wilIh of what kind, which, Old English hwA who, gelIk like; more at WHO, LIKE
Pronunciation : hwich, wich
Function : adjective
Date : before 12th century
1. what; from what; to what; whichever; in what. prowhat one; what; whichever; the one that; that; who; that he (she, it, etc.). which\which\ , pron. [oe. which, whilk, as. hwilc, hwylc, hwelc, from the root of hwā who + līc body; hence properly, of what sort or kind; akin to os. hwilik which, ofries. hwelik, d. welk, g. welch, ohg. welīh, hwelīh, icel. hvīlīkr, dan. & sw. hvilken, goth. hwileiks, hw leiks; cf. l. qualis. . see:
who, and like, a., and cf. such.].
2. of what sort or kind; what; what a; who. [obs.] and which they weren and of what degree.
3. a interrogative pronoun, used both substantively and adjectively, and in direct and indirect questions, to ask for, or refer to, an individual person or thing among several of a class; as, which man is it? which woman was it? which is the house? he asked which route he should take; which is best, to live or to die? see:
the note under what, pron.,.
4. which of you convinceth me of sin?.
5. 3. a relative pronoun, used esp. in referring to an antecedent noun or clause, but sometimes with reference to what is specified or implied in a sentence, or to a following noun or clause (generally involving a reference, however, to something which has preceded). it is used in all numbers and genders, and was formerly used of persons. and when thou fail'st -- as god forbid the hour! -- must edward fall, which peril heaven forfend! god rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. ii.
6. our father, which art in heaven. vi.
7. the temple of god is holy, which temple ye are. iii.
8. 4. a compound relative or indefinite pronoun, standing for any one which, whichever, that which, those which, the which, and the like; as, take which you will.note: the which was formerly often used for which. the expressions which that, which as, were also sometimes used by way of emphasis. do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? 7.note: which, referring to a series of preceding sentences, or members of a sentence, may have all joined to it adjectively. "all which, as a method of a proclamation, is very convenient." arlyle. [.
9. Of what sort or kind; what; what a; who.
10. A interrogative pronoun, used both substantively and adjectively, and in direct and indirect questions, to ask for, or refer to, an individual person or thing among several of a class; as, which man is it? which woman was it? which is the house? he asked which route he should take; which is best, to live or to die? See the Note under What, pron., 1.
11. A relative pronoun, used esp. in referring to an antecedent noun or clause, but sometimes with reference to what is specified or implied in a sentence, or to a following noun or clause.
12. It is used in all numbers and genders, and was formerly used of persons.
13. A compound relative or indefinite pronoun, standing for any one which, whichever, that which, those which, the . . . which, and the like; as, take which you will.
14. 1. You use which in questions when there are two or more possible answers or alternatives. Which do they want me to do, declare war or surrender? Which are the ones you really like? `You go down that passageway over there.' --- `Which one?' Which vitamin supplements are good value?.
15. You use which to refer to a choice between two or more possible answers or alternatives. I wanted to know which school it was you went to Scientists have long wondered which parts of the brain are involved in musical tasks. Which is also a conjunction. In her panic she couldn't remember which was Mr Grainger's cabin There are so many diets on the market, how do you know which to choose?.
16. You use which at the beginning of a relative clause when specifying the thing that you are talking about or when giving more information about it. Soldiers opened fire on a car which failed to stop at an army checkpoint He's based in Banja Luka, which is the largest city in northern Bosnia Colic describes a whole variety of conditions in which a horse suffers abdominal pain.
17. You use which to refer back to an idea or situation expressed in a previous sentence or sentences, especially when you want to give your opinion about it. Since we started in September we have raised fifty thousand pounds, which is pretty good going Which is also a determiner. The chances are you haven't fully decided what you want from your career at the moment, in which case you're definitely not cut out to be a boss yet!.
18. If you cannot tell the difference between two things, you can say that you do not know which is which. They all look so alike to me that I'm never sure which is which.
19. any which way: see:
way every which way: see way.