whereunder 
Shone resurgent, a sunbriglit sign, 
Through shapes whereunder the strong soul glows. 
SmnMime, Death of \V. Bell Scott. 
whereuntil (bwar-un-til'), <■'»'./. [< u-lwrcl + 
unlil.'\ Whereunto. [Obsolete or provincial.] 
We know ichereuntil it doth amount 
Shak., L. L. L., V. 2. 493. 
whereuntot (hwar-un'to or -un-to'), adr. and 
coitj. [< icherc^ + unto.] I. interrog. adv. Unto 
what or whom ? whereto ? 
Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? 
JIark iv. 30. 
n. rel. conj. To which or whom ; unto what; 
for wliat end or purpose. 
Now when Andrew heard whereunto Christ was come, he 
forsook his master .John, and came to Christ. Latimer. 
The next whereunto. Hooker. 
whereupon (hwSr-u-pon'), adr. and coiij. [< 
JAE. whenipon ; < iclierc^ + upon.'] I. intcrrog. 
adv. Upon what place, ground, cause, etc. ? 
whereon f 
II. rel. conj. Upon which or whom ; whereon. 
There [at the Mount of Olives] is Also the stone wher 
vpon the Aungell stod comfortyng hym the same tyme. 
Torkinjton, Diarie of Eng. Travell, p. 28. 
The king hath sent to know 
The nature of your griefs, and whereupon 
You conjure from the breast of civil peace 
Such bold hostility. Shak., 1 Hen IV., iv. 3. 42. 
This was cast upr)n the board ; . . . whereupon 
Rose feud, with question unto whom 't were due. 
Tennyson, tEnone. 
wherever (hwar-ev'er), conj. [< ME. irher cverc ; 
< irAfrel + ever.] At whatever place. 
He hathe alweys 3 Wifes with him. where that evere 
he be. Mandeville, Travels, p. 218. 
They courted merit, whererer it was to be found. 
Prescott, ferd. and Isa., ii. 2fi. 
wherewith (hwar-wiTll'), ndv. and conj. [< MK. 
vihcncith,icliarwith,hwcr tcith : < wlicre^ + with'^.] 
1. interrog. adv. With what or whom f 
O my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel ? Judges vi. 15. 
H. rel. conj. With which ; also, as compound 
relative, that with which. 
And bisily gan for the soules preye fpray] 
Of hem that yaf liim wheru-Uh io scoleye [study]. 
Chancer, Gen. I'rol, to C. T., 1. 302. 
Wheretrilh he flxt his eyes 
Vppon her fearefull face. 
OoKoigne, Philomene (Steele Glas, etc., ed. Arber, p. 96). 
The love whereirith thou ha.st loved me. John xvii. 2C. 
Reverence is that wheremlh princes are girt from God. 
Bacon, Seditions and Troubles (ed. 1887). 
Was T in a desert, I would find out whereu-Uh in it to 
call forth my affections. 
Sterne, Sentimental Journey, p. 29. 
[Wheretrith is collo<inialIy used as a noun in the phrase 
the wherewith (compare the commoner ccjuivalent phrase 
the wherewithaC) — that is, what is neces.sary or re<iuired ; 
means. 
Uis [the Esquimaux's] digestive system, heavily taxed 
in providing the wherewith to meet excessive loss by ra- 
diation, supplies less material for other purposes. 
//. Spencer, Prin. of Sociol., § l.'i.] 
wherewithal (hwar-wi-Tllal'), ndv. and conj. 
[< ic/icrt'l + willial.] Same as wherewith. 
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? 
Ps. cxix. 9. 
We our selves have not wh^rwilhal; who shall bear the 
Charges of our Journey .' Miitun, Touching Hirelings. 
The wherewithal, same as the wheremth. See note 
under wlierewith. [*-'olloq.] 
For the whereiritbal 
To give his babes a better bringing-up. 
Tennymn, Enoch Arden. 
Wherr (hw6r), a. [Prob. < W. rhwrnv, bitter, 
sharp, severe; cf. ehwerwon, bitters, chinrivi, 
become bitter. Cf. wherry^.] Verysour. [Prov. 
Eng.] 
Wherrett, wherritt (hwer'et, hwer'it), ». and 
t. See whirret. 
wherryl (hwer'i), H. ; pi. «7(oc)i>.>((-iz). [Early 
mod. E. also wherij, irhivric, ivhijrrij ; origin un- 
known. According to Skeat, < Iccl. hverfr, 
shifty, crank (said of sliips) (= Norw. krerr, 
crank, unsteady, also swift), < hvcrfii (pret. 
Afar/), turn: see wharf.] 1. A light shallow 
rowboat, having seats for passengers, and ply- 
ing on rivers and harbors. It resembles the 
dory. 
A whyrry, boate, pout*". Levins. Manip. Vocab., p, 106. 
What sights of line folks he oft row'd in his wlirrry, 
Twas clean 'd out so nice, and so painted withal. 
C. iHbdin, The Waterman. 
2. A light half-decked fisliing-vcssel used in 
different parts of llreat Uritain and Ireland. 
wherry'-^ (hwer'i), n. [f'f. wherv.] A li(|Uor 
made from the pulp of crab-apples after the 
verjuice is expressed. Kometimes called croh- 
whcrri). [Prov. Eng.] 
6895 
wherryman (hwer'i-man), «.; pi. wherrymen 
(-men). One who rows a wherry. 
He that is an excellent icherryman looketh towards the 
bridge when he puUeth towards Westminster. Bacon. 
whersot, indcf. pron. [< ME. tvherso, contracted 
form of whetherso.] ISame as whetherso. 
Al is yliche good to me, 
Joye or sorowe, wherso it be. 
Chaucer, Death of Blanche, 1. 10. 
whervet, ''• f- [^ ME- whervcn, wherj'en, hwcrfen. 
< AS. hwcrfan, hwyrj'nn (pret. hwyrfde) =OHG. 
hwerban, htcarban, werban, werben, SIHG. wer- 
lien = Icel. hverfa, tr. cause to turn, turn, intr. 
turn, revolve ; a weak verb, causative of early 
ME. "hwerfen (in comp. a-hwerfcn), < AS. hwcor- 
fan (pret. Invearf, pi. bwurfon, pp. hworfcn), 
turn, turn about, go, = OS. hwcrbhan = OFries. 
hwcrva. wcrva, warfa = OHG. hwerban, werban. 
wervan, werhen, MHG. iverben, werven = Icel. 
hverfa = Goth, hwairban, turn, go about. This 
verb, lost in early ME., survives only in the 
derivatives ivherve, n., wharf, ivhirl, ichorl, etc.] 
To turn; change. 
Alfred . . . wrat tha lasen on Engli-s, . . . 
And wh£er/de hir nome on his and tornde the name in his 
daige. Layamon, 1. 6319. 
wherve (hwerv), n. [Also wharve; < tchervc, v.] 
1. A round piece of wood put on a spindle to 
receive the thread. 
Wouldst thou . . . blunt the spindles, join the wTierve/t, 
slander the spinning-quills, ... of the weird Sister- 
ParciB ? Urquhart, tr. of Rabelais, iii. 28. 
So fine, so round, and even a thread she [the spider] 
spinnes, hanging thereunto herselfe, and asiiig the weight 
of her own bodie instead of a wherve. 
lloUand, tr. of Pliny, xi. 24. 
The spindle and wharoe are rigidly attached to each 
other, and the upper section of the wharve is hollowed 
out to form a chamber capable of containing quite a quan- 
tity of oil. Sci. Atner., X. S., L.XI. 342. 
2. A joint. HalliwcU. [Prov. Eng.] 
whet (hwet), V. t. ; pret. and pp. whetted or whet, 
ppr. whetting. [< ME. whetten. < AS. hwettan 
(= D. LG. wettcn = OHG. wexcn, MHG. G. wct- 
:en = Icel. hretja = Sw. hviissa = Dan. hv/essc), 
sharpen, whet, < liwset, sharp: see what''^.] 1. 
To make sharp ; sharpen (an edged or pointed 
tool or weapon) by rubbing it on a stone, or 
with an implement of stone or other material. 
Assaying how hire speres weren whette. 
Chaucer, Troilus, v. 1760. 
I whrtte a knyfe, or any weapen or toole, to make it 
sharpe. ... I love better whettynge of knyves afore a 
good dyner than whettyitf/e of swordes and bylles. 
Palsgrave, p. 780. 
And Beauty walked np and down 
With Imjw in hand, and arrows whet. 
Lord Vauz (Arber's Eng. Garner, I. 7.i). 
.\nd the mower whetg his sithe. Mil/on, L'AUcgro, 1. 66. 
2. To make shaqi, keen, or eager; excite; 
stimulate : as, to whet the appetite. 
Since Cassins first did whet me against Cffisar, 
I have not slept. Shak., J. C, ii. 1. 61. 
The favourers of this fatal war, 
Whom this example did more sharply whet. 
Drayton, Harons' Wars, iv. 12. 
It but whets my stomach, which is too sharp-set already. 
Middleton, Chaste JIaid, i. 1. 
Malice whets her sland'rous tongue. 
Cutvper, Love Increased by Suffering. 
3. To riilt ; scratch. HnUiwcU. [Prov. Eng.] 
After a grindstone . . . has been used for a time in 
sharpening chisels, the surface gets a dark metallic glaze, 
and the stone will not thcTi bite the steel. To remove this 
glaze the stone was aAcfto; or sharpened (both tennswere 
used) by rubbing it with sand and water, the rubbing me- 
dium being a piece of stone harder . . . and of coarser 
grain. A', and Q., 7th ser., XI. 173. 
4. To prime or preen ; trim. [Kare.] 
There, like a bird, it sits and sings. 
Then ic/iete and claps its silver wings. 
Marvell, The Garden. 
5. To cut with a knife. HiiUiwcU. [Prov. 
Eng.] — To whet on or whet forward*, to urge on ; in- 
stigate. 
I prithee, peace, gottd queen. 
And whet not on these furious peers. 
Shak., 2 Hen. VI., ii. 1. 34. 
To whet one's Whlstlet. Same as to wet one's tchistte 
(confusioTi of urt and wliet). .See whistle. 
Give the boy some drink there ! Piper, 
Whet yowrwhitlle. Fletcher.Beggars' Bush, iii, 1. 
Let 's e'en say grace, and turn to the fire, drink the other 
cup to whet our whittles, and so sing away all sad thoughts. 
/. Wultoii, Complete Angler, p. 8U. 
whet (hwet), ". [<whet,v.] Tlie act of sharp- 
ening by friction; hence, simiething that jiro- 
vokes or stimulates; especially, something that 
whets the appetite, as a dram. 
You are cloy'd with the I'rcparative, and what you mean 
for a Whet turns the Edge of your puny stomachs. 
Cnmireve, did Batclielor, i. 4, 
whether 
He had assisted at four hundred bowls of punch, not to 
mention sips, drams, and whets without number. 
Addison, Spectator. 
Mr. Mayor gives a whet [a light luncheon] to-day after 
church, when he hopes you will attend. 
Quoted in A^. and Q. , 7th ser., XI. 55. 
whether^ (hweTH'er), a. and ^jcoh. [Formerly 
also eontr. loher, where; < ME. whether, whather, 
whsethcr, wether, wathcr, hwcther, hwather, qveth- 
er, also eontr. wher, < AS. hweethcr, hwether = 
OS. hwethar, hucder = OFries. hwcder, hoder = 
MLG. weder, tcedder, LG. loedder, weer = OHG. 
htcedar, huedar, tvedar, which of two, MHG. G. 
weder = Icel. hvadharr, eontr. hvdrr, hvorr = 
Goth, hwathar, which (of two) ; = OBulg. Russ. 
kotondi, which, = L. nter (for *cutcr) = (Jr. ko-e- 
pof, -drepof = Skt. l-atara, which (of two); with 
compar. suffix -ther (,-dcr, -tcr, etc.), from the 
base hwa of the pron. who: see who, and cf. 
what^, etc. Cf. either.] I. a. A. interrog. 
Which (of two)? which one? 
B. rel. (always in compound relative use, or 
with the antecedent implied, not expressed). 
Which (of two, or, less exactly, of more than 
two). 
When the father him bethought. 
And sighe [saw] to whether side it drough. 
Goiter, Conf. Amant., ii. 
I woulde gladly knowe in whether booke you haue read 
moste, which is to wit, in Vegetius, which entreateth of 
mattere of wars, or in S. Augustine his boke of Christia doc- 
trine. Guevara, Letters (tr. by Hellowes, 1577), p. 238. 
But to whether side fortune would have been partial 
could not be determined. Sir P. Sidney, Arcadia, iii. 
II. 2>ron. A. interrog. Which (of two, or of the 
two)? which one (of two)? 
Whether of them [the, R. V.) twain did the will of his 
father? Mat. xxi. 31. 
B. rel. Which (of two) ; which one (of two) ; 
also, more indefinitely, whichever. 
Well, I will hear, or sleep, I care not whether. 
Beau, and Fl., Captain, ii. 2. 
It may be a question among men of noble sentiments, 
whether of these unfortunate persons had the greater soul. 
Steele, Tatler, No. 5. 
"Chese now,"(iuod she, "oon of thise thinges tweye . . . 
Now chese your selven whether that you liketh." 
Chaucer, Wife of Bath's Tale, I. 371. 
Bothe gouge (t oolde, whethir ge be. 
In cristis name good cheer 3e make. 
Hymns to Viryin, etc. (E. E. T. S.), p. 32. 
To waxen or to wonien, whether God lyketh. 
Piers Plowman (A), viii. 59. 
whether^ (hwcTH'er), adv. and conj. [< ME. 
whether, wheder. wether, hwcther, eontr. wher, 
wer, < AS. hwsether, hwcther = OS. hwethar = 
OFries. hwcder = MLG. weder, wedder = OHG. 
hwcdar, wedar, MHG. G. weder = Icel. hvdrt, 
whether; orig. neut. of the pron. whether: see 
whether, a. a.m\ pron.] I. interrog. adv. 1. In- 
troducing the first of two direct (alternative) 
questions, the second being introduced by or 
(literally, which of these two things [is true] ?). 
Whether is Herod, or that Youngling, King? 
J. Beaumont, Psyche, iii. 161. 
2t. Introducing a single direct question, the al- 
ternative being unexpressed, and sometimes 
only dimly implied. 
Whether is not this the sone of a carpenter? Whether his 
niodir be not seid [called] Marie? Wyclif, Mat. xiii. 5f>. 
Well then, if God will not allow a king too much, whe- 
ther will he allow a subject too nuich? 
Latimer, 1st Sermon bef. Edw. VI. , 1649. 
What authoritye tbinke you meete to be given him? 
whether will ye allowe him to protecte, to safe conducte, 
and to have marshall lawe as they are accustomed? 
Spenser, St^Ue of Ireland. 
II. rel. conj. 1. Introducing the first of two 
(or more) alternatives, the second being intro- 
duced by or (or or whether). 
Whether 30 ben aposidof princes or of prcstisof the lawe. 
For to answere hem haue pe no doute. 
Piers I'lowman (A), xi. 289. 
Whether the tyranny be in bis place 
Or in his eminence th.at fills it up. 
Shak., M. forM., i. 2. 167. 
Thou Shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will 
hear or whether they will forbear. Ezek. ii. 7. 
But whether thus these things, or whether not ; 
Whether the sun, predominant in heaven. 
Rise on the eartli, or earth rise on the sun ; . . . 
Solicit not thy thoughts with matters hid. 
.Vilton, P. L., viii. l.M. 
The Moors, whether wounded or slain, were thrown head- 
long without the walls. Irving, Granada, p. 64. 
Laws may be received as indicating the dispositions of 
the ruler, whether for good err for evil. 
Prescott, Ferd. and Isa., ii. 26. 
There are moments in life wlien the lip and the eye 
Try the question of whether to sniili^ or t<> cry. 
Whittier, 'I'he ()uaker Alunmi. 
So long as men bad sleTuler means, whether of keeping 
out colli or cbeckniaf ing it with artitlcial hi'at, Winter was 
an unwelcome guest, especially in the conntiy. 
Lowell, Study Windows, p. 30, 
