which
/wɪt͡ʃ/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 6.30 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
det
Designates the one(s) previously mentioned.
pron
In a non-restrictive relative clause, referring to something previously mentioned.
pron
In a non-restrictive relative clause, referring to something previously mentioned.
Example Sentences
Etymology
From Middle English which, hwic, wilche, hwilch, whilk, hwilc, from Old English hwelċ (“which”), from Proto-Germanic *hwilīkaz (“what kind”, literally “like what”), derived from *hwaz. Cognates include Scots whilk (“which”), West Frisian hokker (“which”), Dutch welk (“which”), Low German welk (“which”), German welcher (“which”), Danish hvilken (“which”), Swedish vilken (“which”), Norwegian hvilken (“which”), Icelandic hvílíkur (“which”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *kʷ-, which, hwelċ, *hwilīkaz