Wherefore

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˈwɛə(ɹ)ˌfɔː(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. A conjunction or adverb expressing the reason or cause for something, often used to introduce a consequence or explanation
2. Used to inquire about the reason something happened or is the case
3. Employed to question why a particular event or action occurs or should occur

Etymology: "Wherefore" is a compound of two very ordinary words: "where" in its older sense of "what," and "for." Its literal sense was "what for?", a question about purpose. That is also why the same pattern turns up across the Germanic languages: Dutch "waarvoor," German "wofür," and Swedish "varför" all carry the same "what for" meaning, and Danish and Norwegian "hvorfor" match it as well. The word arrived in English in Middle English, in forms such as "wherfor" and "hwarfore." Its sense has shifted over the centuries. Today it is most familiar from Juliet's question in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?", where it means "why," not "where." Modern readers often mistake that line for a question about location, which is one reason the word now sounds more archaic than it once was.

Synonyms: why