which
1. which \(')hwich, (')wich\ aj [ME, of what kind, which, fr. OE hwilc;
akin to OHG wili-h of wh]at kind, which; both fr. a prehistoric Gmc
compound whose first constituent is akin to OE hwa- who & whose second
constituent is represented by OE -li-c -ly - more at WHO, -LY 1: being what
one or ones out of a group - used as an interrogative {(R@ tie should I
wear} {kept a record of ~ employees took their vacations in July} 2:
WHICHEVER {it will not fit, turn it ~ way you like} 3: - used as a
function word to introduce a nonrestrictive relative clau se and to modify
a noun in that clause and to refer together with that noun to a word or
word group in a preceding clause or to an entire preceding clause or
sentence or longer unit of discourse {in German, ~ language might ... have
been the medium of transmission -Thomas Pyles} {that this city is a
rebellious city ... for ~ cause was this city destroyed -Ezra 4:15 (AV)}
2. which pn 1: what one or ones out of a group - used as an interrogative
{~ of those houses do you live in} {~ of you want tea and ~ want lemonade}
{he is swimming or canoeing, I don't know ~} 2: WHICHEVER {take ~ you like}
3: - used as a function word to introduce a relative clause; used in any
grammatical relation except that of a possessive; used esp. in reference to
animals, inanimate objects, groups, or ideas {the bonds ~ represent the
debt -G.B. Robinson} {the Samnite tribes, ~ settled south and southeast of
Rome -Ernst Pulgram}; used freely in reference to persons as recently as
the 17th century {our Father ~ art in heaven -Mt 6:9 (AV)}, and still
occas. so used but usu. with some implication of emphasis on the function
or role of the person rather than on the person himself {chiefly they
wanted husbands, ~ they got easily -Lynn White}; used by speakers on all
educational levels and by many reputable writers, though disapproved by
some grammarians, in reference to an idea expressed by a word or group of
words that is not necessarily a noun or noun phrase {in August of that year
he resigned that post, after ~ he engaged in ranching -Current Biog.}