whereof

whereof

English

Etymology

From Middle English wherof; equivalent to where +‎ of. Compare the parallel formations of Swedish varav and Dutch waaraf.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /(h)wɛɹˈʌv/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /wɛəɹˈɒv/

• Audio (Berkshire, UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒv, -ʌv

Conjunction

whereof

1. (formal) Of what.
2. (formal) Of which.
   • 1885–1888, Richard F[rancis] Burton, transl. and editor, “Night 558”, in A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, now Entituled The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night […], volume (please specify the volume), Shammar edition, [London]: […] Burton Club […], OCLC 939632161:

     Then they set somewhat of food before me, whereof I ate my fill, and gave me somewhat of clothes wherewith I clad myself anew and covered my nakedness; after which they took me up into the ship, […]

3. (formal) Of whom.
   • 1885–1888, Richard F[rancis] Burton, transl. and editor, “Night 547”, in Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night […], volume (please specify the volume), Shammar edition, [London]: […] Burton Club […], OCLC 939632161:

     Now one day of the days, […] the Sultan cast his eyes upon her as she stood before him, and said to his Grand Wazir, "This be the very woman whereof I spake to thee yesterday, so do thou straightway bring her before me, that I may see what be her suit and fulfil her need."

4. (archaic) With or by which.

Related terms

• whence

Translations

of what; of which; of whom

Bulgarian: от който (ot kojto), от каквото (ot kakvoto) Chinese: Mandarin: 甚么的 (zh) Danish: hvoraf Dutch: waarvan (nl) Finnish: minkä (fi) French: dont (fr) German: wovon (de) Hungarian: (out of something) amiből, amelyből, (out of someone) akiből, (about something) amiről, amelyről, (about someone) akiről Latin: unde (la) Portuguese: donde (pt) Spanish: donde (es) Swedish: varav (sv)

Adverb

whereof (not comparable)

1. (archaic) Of what.
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene i]:

     In sooth, I know not why I am so sad.
     It wearies me; you say it wearies you;
     But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,
     What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born,
     I am to learn;
     And such a wantwit sadness makes of me,
     That I have much ado to know myself.

   • 1922, Ludwig Wittgenstein, trans. C. K. Ogden, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, proposition 7:

     Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.

2. (archaic) Of which.

Derived terms

• know whereof one speaks

References

• “whereof”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989, →ISBN.

See also

Here-, there-, and where- words

• (about): hereabout, thereabout, whereabout
• (abouts): hereabouts, thereabouts, whereabouts
• (after): hereafter, thereafter, whereafter
• (again): thereagain
• (against): thereagainst, whereagainst
• (among): thereamong, whereamong
• (amongst): whereamongst
• (around): therearound
• (as): thereas, whereas
• (at): hereat, thereat, whereat
• (before): herebefore, therebefore
• (beside): therebeside
• (between): therebetween, wherebetween
• (by): hereby, thereby, whereby
• (for): herefor, therefor, wherefor
• (fore): herefore, therefore, wherefore
• (from): herefrom, therefrom, wherefrom
• (hence): herehence, therehence
• (in): herein, therein, wherein
• (in after): hereinafter, thereinafter, whereinafter
• (in before): hereinbefore, thereinbefore, whereinbefore
• (into): hereinto, thereinto, whereinto
• (of): hereof, thereof, whereof
• (on): hereon, thereon, whereon
• (to): hereto, thereto, whereto
• (tofore): heretofore, theretofore, wheretofore
• (under): hereunder, thereunder, whereunder
• (unto): hereunto, thereunto, whereunto
• (upon): hereupon, thereupon, whereupon
• (with): herewith, therewith, wherewith
• (withal): herewithal, therewithal, wherewithal

 

Anagrams

• forehew