who
Language: English
Part of speech: pron
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/
Forms: form: whom
form: who
form: whose
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: You're getting married‽ Who to? (direct question)
text: I don't know who it is. (indirect question)
text: Ia[go]. Hee’s married. Caſ[ſio]. To who? […] Ia[go]. Marry to. ---- Come Captaine, will you goe? Oth[ello]. Ha, with who?
ref: c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragœdy of Othello, the Moore of Venice. […] (First Quarto), London: […] N[icholas] O[kes] for Thomas Walkley, […], published 1622, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 8:
glosses: What person or people; which person or people; asks for the identity of someone; used in a direct or indirect question.
examples: text: That's the man who works at the newsagent. (defining)
text: My sister, who works in the accounts department, just got promoted to manager. (non-defining)
text: Chorban: I don't really think my scanning disturbs them, but the authorities might disagree.
Chorban: I'd like to do it more openly, but it's not really worth getting arrested over.
Shepard: I could help you out. I'm not worried about the authorities.
Chorban: I don't even know who you are.
ref: 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:
text: Despite personal schisms and differences in spiritual experience, there is a very coherent theology of Snape shared between the wives. To examine this manifestation of religious fandom, I will first discuss the canon scepticism and anti-Rowling sentiment that helps to contextualise the wider belief in Snape as a character who extends beyond book and film.
ref: 2014 March 3, Zoe Alderton, “‘Snapewives’ and ‘Snapeism’: A Fiction-Based Religion within the Harry Potter Fandom”, in Religions, volume 5, number 1, MDPI, →DOI, pages 219–257:
glosses: Introduces a relative clause having a human antecedent.
With antecedent as subject.
examples: raw_tags: defining
text: That's the man who I saw earlier.
raw_tags: non-defining
text: My brother, who you met the other day, is coming to stay for the weekend.
glosses: Introduces a relative clause having a human antecedent.
With antecedent as object: whom.
qualifier: non-formal
examples: text: Who insults my mother insults me.
raw_tags: marginal usage
text: Give it to who deserves it.
text: Who steals my purse steals trash.
ref: c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:
qualifier: fused relative; archaic or marginal; fused relative; archaic or marginal
glosses: Whoever, he who, they who.
examples: text: Who are the Miami Heat?
qualifier: especially non-US
glosses: Also used with names of collective nouns that are groups of people, especially singularly-named musical groups or sports teams.