who
Language: English
Part of speech: det
Pronunciation: enpr: ho͞o
ipa: /huː/
ipa: [huː]
ipa: [hʊw]
ipa: [hʉw]
ipa: [hʉː]
ipa: [hu(ː)]
ipa: [huː]
ipa: [hʉː]
rhymes: -uː
enpr: h(w)o͞o
enpr: h(w)ō
ipa: /h(w)uː/
ipa: /h(w)ɔː/
note: originally unstressed
ipa: /hwɒ/
Etymology: From Middle English who, hwo, huo, wha, hwoa, hwa, from Old English hwā (dative hwām, genitive hwæs), from Proto-West Germanic *hwaʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷos, *kʷís.
The sound change /hw/ > /h/ (without a corresponding change in spelling) was due to wh-cluster reduction after an irregular change of /ɑː/ to /oː/ in Middle English (instead of the expected /ɔː/) and further to /uː/ regularly in Early Modern English. A similar change occurred in two. Compare how, which underwent wh-reduction earlier (in Old English), and thus is spelt with h.
Compare Scots wha, West Frisian wa, Dutch wie, Low German we, German wer, Swedish vem, Danish hvem, Norwegian Bokmål hvem, Norwegian Nynorsk kven, Icelandic hver.
Senses: examples: text: Who phone just rang?
qualifier: African-American Vernacular
glosses: whose
Derived terms: abandon hope, all ye who enter here
all hope abandon ye who enter here
all things come to those who wait
anybody who is anybody
anybody who is anyone
anyone who is anybody
anyone who is anyone
as who should say
dance with the one who brought ya
dance with the one who brought you
dance with the one who brung ya
dance with the one who brung you
do you know who I am
everybody who is anybody
everybody who is anyone
everyone who is anybody
everyone who is anyone
evil be to him who evil thinks
God helps them who help themselves
God helps those who help themselves
good things come to those who wait
heaven helps those who help themselves
he who denied it supplied it
he who digs a pit for others falls in himself
he who hesitates is lost
he who laughs last laughs best
he who laughs last laughs hardest
he who pays the piper calls the tune
he who said the rhyme did the crime
he who smelt it dealt it
he who sups with the devil should have a long spoon
it's not what you know but who you know
lady who lunches
leave with the one who brought ya
leave with the one who brought you
leave with the one who brung ya
leave with the one who brung you
let he who is without sin cast the first stone
let him who is without sin cast the first stone
look like who did it and ran
look who the cat dragged in
one who hesitates is lost
people who live in glass houses should not throw stones
people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
raise the flag and see who salutes
says who
send it up the flagpole and see who salutes
the Lord helps those who help themselves
there are none so blind as those who will not see
there's none so blind as those who will not see
those who have get
those who have get more
those who live in glass houses should not throw stones
those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those doing it
though I say it who should not
though I say it who should not say it
who am I kidding
who are you
who are you and what have you done with someone
who are you telling
who ate all the pies
who cares
who died and gave you the reins
who died and left you in charge
who died and made you boss
who died and made you king
who died and made you president
who died and made you queen
who goes there
who-hit-John
who hurt you
who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl
who knew?
who knows?
who-knows-how-many
who pays the piper calls the tune
who put a quarter in you
who shot John
who so
who's who
who's who in the zoo
who took the jam out of your doughnut
who wants to know
who was your servant last year
who watches the watchers
who whom
who would have guessed
who would have known
who would have thought it
who would have thunk it
who writes this stuff
with friends like these who needs enemies
with friends like those who needs enemies
you-know-who