3 Answers
why |(h)w?|
adverb
for what reason or purpose: why did he do it?
• [ with negative ] used to make or agree to a suggestion: why don't I give you a lift?
relativeadverb
(with reference to a reason) on account of which; for which: the reason why flu shots need repeating every year is that the virus changes.
• the reason for which: each has faced similar hardships, and perhaps that is why they are friends.
exclam.
1 expressing surprise or indignation: Why, that's absurd!
2 used to add emphasis to a response: “You think so?” “Why, yes.”
noun ( pl. whys )
a reason or explanation: the whys and wherefores of these procedures need to be explained to students.
PHRASES
why so? for what reason or purpose?
ORIGIN Old English hw?, hw? ‘by what cause,’ instrumental case of hwæt ‘what,’ of Germanic origin.
| 12 years ago. Rating: 5 | |
gtfyh
Tommyh
robertgrist