Definitions for which
ʰwɪtʃ, wɪtʃwhich

WiktionaryRate this definition:2.6 / 12 votes

1. whichnoun

   An occurrence of the word which.

2. whichpronoun

   Who; whom; what (of those mentioned or implied)

3. Etymology: hwilc, from Proto-Germanic, the former being the stem of. Cognates include German welcher, Dutch welk and Old Norse hvílíkr.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. WHICHpron.

   Etymology: hwilc , Saxon; welk, Dutch.

   1. The pronoun relative; relating to things.

   The apostles term it the pledge of our heavenly inheritance, sometimes the handsel or earnest of that which is to come. Richard Hooker, b. v.

   Do they not blaspheme that worthy name, by the which ye are called? Ja. ii. 7.

   In destructions by deluge, the remnant which hap to be reserved are ignorant. Francis Bacon.

   To which their want of judging abilities, add also their want of opportunity to apply to such a serious consideration as may let them into the true goodness and evil of things, which are qualities which seldom display themselves to the first view. Robert South, Sermons.

   The queen of furies by their side is set,
   And snatches from their mouths th’ untasted meat,
   Which, if they touch, her hissing snakes she rears. Dryden.

   After the several earths, consider the parts of the surface of this globe which is barren, as sand and rocks. John Locke.

   2. It formerly was used for who, and related likewise to persons: as in the first words of the Lord’s prayer.

   The Almighty, which giveth wisdom to whomsoever it pleaseth him, did, for the good of his church, stay those eager affections. Richard Hooker.

   Do you hear, sir, of a battle?
   ———— Every one hears that,
   Which can distinguish sound. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

   Had I been there, which am a silly woman,
   The soldiers should have toss’d me on their pikes,
   Before I would have granted to that act. William Shakespeare, H. VI.

   3. The genitive of which, as well as of who, is whose; but whose, as derived from which, is scarcely used but in poetry.

   Of man’s first disobedience, and the fruit
   Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste. John Milton.

   4. It is sometimes a demonstrative: as, take which you will.

   What is the night?
   —— Almost at odds with morning, which is which. William Shakespeare.

   5. It is sometimes an interrogative: as, which is the man.

   Two fair twins,
   The puzzled strangers which is which enquire. Thomas Tickell.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. which

   "Which" is a pronoun used to refer to a specific person, thing, or idea out of a group of options. It is typically used to ask a question to seek clarification or to indicate a choice between multiple alternatives.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:2.4 / 5 votes

1. Whichadjective

   of what sort or kind; what; what a; who

2. Whichadjective

   a interrogative pronoun, used both substantively and adjectively, and in direct and indirect questions, to ask for, or refer to, an individual person or thing among several of a class; as, which man is it? which woman was it? which is the house? he asked which route he should take; which is best, to live or to die? See the Note under What, pron., 1

3. Which

   a relative pronoun, used esp. in referring to an antecedent noun or clause, but sometimes with reference to what is specified or implied in a sentence, or to a following noun or clause (generally involving a reference, however, to something which has preceded). It is used in all numbers and genders, and was formerly used of persons

4. Which

   a compound relative or indefinite pronoun, standing for any one which, whichever, that which, those which, the . . . which, and the like; as, take which you will

5. Etymology: [OE. which, whilk, AS. hwilc, hwylc, hwelc, from the root of hw who + lc body; hence properly, of what sort or kind; akin to OS. hwilik which, OFries. hwelik, D. welk, G. welch, OHG. welh, hwelh, Icel. hvlkr, Dan. & Sw. hvilken, Goth. hwileiks, hwleiks; cf. L. qualis. . See Who, and Like, a., and cf. Such.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:3.5 / 2 votes

1. Which

   hwich, interrog. pron. what one of a number?—also used adjectively.—rel. pron. (obs.) who, whom: now used of things only.—prons. Whichev′er, Whichsoev′er, every one which: whether one or other.—(obs.) Which...he, who; Which...his, whose—surviving in the vulgar use of which as a mere introductory word; Which is which? which is the one, which is the other? a common phrase denoting inability to decide between two or more things.—The which (obs.), which. [A.S. hwilc, hwelc, from hwí, instrumental case of hwá, who, and líc, like; Goth. hwei-leiks, Ger. welch, welcher; L. qualis. Cf. Such and Each.]

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. which

   A relative pronoun.

   The company which released the new software were happy to open-source the code for it to be improved.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on April 8, 2020  

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'which' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #30

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'which' in Written Corpus Frequency: #80

How to pronounce which?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say which in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of which in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of which in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of which in a Sentence

1. Grover Cleveland:

   There is no calamity which a great nation can invite which equals that which follows a supine submission to wrong and injustice and the consequent loss of national self-respect and honor, beneath which are shielded and defended a people's safety and greatness.

2. Carl Lotus Becker:

   Generally speaking, men are influenced by books which clarify their own thought, which express their own notions well, or which suggest to them ideas which their minds are already predisposed to accept.

3. Ridley Scott:

   Very basic questions. So I came up with the notion of 'Prometheus' 1, which starts to indicate who might have made it and where it came from, so I'm now going to the next one, which is the next evolution directly connected with the first one, which was this Shaw, when he replaced Michael Fassbender in two pieces and we'll kind of pick it up there and it will evolve. When that's finished there'll be another one and then another one which will gradually drive into the back entrance of the film in 1979.

4. Yohanan Plesner:

   . ( AP Photo/Oded Balilty) With seeming boundless energy, the 70-year-old Netanyahu has taken to the airwaves and hit the campaign trail, presenting himself to adoring audiences as a global statesman uniquely qualified to lead the country through its many complicated challenges. In recent weeks, he jetted from the White House to Moscow to bring home a young Israeli woman jailed there on drug charges, and flew to Uganda for a meeting with a leader of Sudan, a longtime enemy country. We have turned Israel into a world power, a leader in cyber technology, natural gas, water, agriculture, technology, intelligence, Netanyahu boasted at a recent campaign stop. He claims credit for a strong economy and boasts of his close relationships with world leaders, first and foremost President Donald Trump, while deriding opponent Benny Gantz as a lightweight. In a message that has drawn accusations of racism, he also accuses Gantz of plotting with Arab lawmakers to oust him. In recent days, Netanyahu and his Netanyahus Likud surrogates spread unfounded allegations claiming his opponent is corrupt, unstable and susceptible to blackmail by Iran. Benny Gantz, CITES TWO ADVISERS WHO LIKENED President Donald Trump TO HITLER Being prime minister of Israel is a complicated thing, full of pressures 24 hours a day, Netanyahu added. I dont think Benny Gantz can handle it. Benny Gantz, a former military chief of staff, has focused Benny Gantz campaign on Netanyahus character, saying a man accused of serious crimes is unfit to lead. Benny Gantz has painted Netanyahu as an out-of-touch egomaniac obsessed with remaining in power and escaping justice, while portraying Benny Gantz as a moderate alternative to the polarizing prime minister. Netanyahu, look me in the eye. Because of your obsession with evading trial, youre lying, attacking, dividing, mudslinging, spreading malicious rumors and inciting. Netanyahu, youre poisoning Israel, Gantz said last week. Netanyahu, youve lost it, and youre unworthy of being prime minister for even a single day longer. Weekend polls, the last to be published before the vote, showed Gantzs Blue and White and Netanyahus Likud party in a tight race, though Gantzs party has shown some small signs of slippage over the past week. Even so, the polls forecast both parties and their smaller partners will again fall short of securing the 61-seat majority in parliament required to form a government. The easiest way out of the deadlock would be a unity government between the two parties, which together are expected to control a solid majority in the 120-seat parliament. But Benny Gantz says Benny Gantz will only form a partnership with Netanyahus Likud if Netanyahu steps down. Netanyahu says he must remain prime minister in any unity deal. The deadlock raised the possibility of a fourth election in quick succession. Turnout of key voting groups could end up deciding the race. Weather may play a role, along with fears of the new corona virus which so far has been kept largely in check. Israel set up some 15 stations to allow voting by the hundreds of Israelis who are in home-quarantine after possible exposure to the virus. The biggest obstacle may be voter fatigue. People are fed up. They think were doomed to another gridlock, so whats the point of voting ? said Guy Ben-Porat, chairman of the department of politics and government at Israels Ben-Gurion University. I think this is the decisive factor in turnout, but I cant tell on which side it will work more. Netanyahu has been charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of scandals in which he is accused of accepting lavish gifts from wealthy friends or exchanging favors with powerful media moguls. With his trial set to start March 17, he is desperate to remain in office. As prime minister, Netanyahu can use his position to rally public support and lash out at what he claims is a vast conspiracy by police, overzealous prosecutors and a hostile media to oust him. Israeli law allows a prime minister to remain in office even if charged with a crime, while requiring other public officials to resign once indicted. While another stalemate seems to be likely, the election could still deliver surprises. Late last week, the Justice Ministry said it would open an investigation into possible financial wrongdoing by a start-up security firm that Benny Gantz chaired after leaving the military. The late-hour announcement was blasted by Gantzs supporters as politically motivated, but its not clear if its had an impact on voters. The firm, which later went out of business, is believed to have won a lucrative police contract without going through a bidding process. Benny Gantz was not named as a suspect. If Netanyahu and his allies can somehow muster a majority, it would give him a new lifeline along with hopes of passing legislation to protect him from prosecution. Gantzs road to victory is even trickier. Cobbling together a coalition would likely rely on outside support from Arab-majority parties a politically unpopular choice that Benny Gantz has ruled out. It also would likely require the support of Avigdor Lieberman, a former Netanyahu ally. Avigdor Lieberman, a wily political operator who has long caused headaches for Netanyahu, has refused to commit to either candidate. But Avigdor Lieberman also has said Avigdor Lieberman will not allow a fourth consecutive election, raising speculation Avigdor Lieberman will ultimately side with Benny Gantz. Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, Israel Democracy Institute, said that if the polls are accurate, the country could face many more months of gridlock unless someone compromises. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Its uncharted territory.

5. Thomas Merton:

   At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and by illusion, a point of pure truth, a point or spark which belongs entirely to God, which is never at our disposal, from which God disposes of our lives, which is inaccessible to the fantasies of our own mind or the brutalities of our own will.

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