wherefore
- 01 C2 Proficiency
adv.an old way of asking 'why' or 'for what reason'.
adv.an archaic interrogative adverb used to ask for a reason or cause.
Simple“Wherefore did you leave the party so early without saying goodbye?”
In context“In the play, the character cries out, 'Wherefore art thou Romeo?', asking why he must be the son of her family's enemy.”
UsageCommonly misunderstood in modern English as a synonym for 'where' due to its appearance in Shakespearean texts.
Teacher's tipStudents often think Juliet is asking where Romeo is located; clarify that she is actually questioning why he is a Montague.
PitfallWherefore are you? I am at the park. Where are you? I am at the park.Learners often confuse 'wherefore' with 'where'. 'Wherefore' means 'why', not 'in what place'.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
n.a reason for something, usually used in the phrase 'the whys and wherefores'.
n.the underlying reason, cause, or purpose of an action or situation.
Simple“I don't need to know all the whys and wherefores of your decision.”
In context“Before we approve the budget, we must examine all the whys and wherefores of these unexpected expenses.”
UsageAlmost exclusively used in the plural fixed expression 'the whys and wherefores'.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
adv.an old way of saying 'therefore' or 'because of that'.
adv.an archaic relative adverb used to mean 'for which reason' or 'consequently'.
Simple“The king was angry, wherefore he ordered the gates to be closed.”
In context“The evidence was insufficient to prove guilt, wherefore the judge dismissed the case immediately.”
Synonyms
“It is a glaring weakness of the programme that it does not probe further into the whys and wherefores of the medical establishment’s inertia here.”
From Middle English wherfor, wherfore, hwarfore, equivalent to where- (“what”) + for. Compare Dutch waarvoor (“what for, wherefore”), German wofür (“for what, what for, why”), Danish and Norwegian hvorfor (“wherefore, why”), Swedish varför (“wherefore, why”). More at where, for.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.