Where \Where\, adv. [OE. wher, whar, AS. hw?r; akin to D. waar,
OS. hw?r, OHG. hw[=a]r, w[=a]r, w[=a], G. wo, Icel. and Sw.
hvar, Dan. hvor, Goth. hwar, and E. who; cf. Skr. karhi when.
[root]182. See Who, and cf. There.]
1. At or in what place; hence, in what situation, position,
or circumstances; -- used interrogatively.
God called unto Adam, . . . Where art thou? --Gen.
iii. 9.
Note: See the Note under What, pron., 1.
2. At or in which place; at the place in which; hence, in the
case or instance in which; -- used relatively.
She visited that place where first she was so happy.
--Sir P.
Sidney.
Where I thought the remnant of mine age Should have
been cherished by her childlike duty. --Shak.
Where one on his side fights, thousands will fly.
--Shak.
But where he rode one mile, the dwarf ran four.
--Sir W.
Scott.
3. To what or which place; hence, to what goal, result, or
issue; whither; -- used interrogatively and relatively;
as, where are you going?
But where does this tend? --Goldsmith.
Lodged in sunny cleft, Where the gold breezes come
not. --Bryant.
Note: Where is often used pronominally with or without a
preposition, in elliptical sentences for a place in
which, the place in which, or what place.
The star . . . stood over where the young child
was. --Matt. ii. 9.
The Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
--Matt. viii.
20.
Within about twenty paces of where we were.
--Goldsmith.
Where did the minstrels come from? --Dickens.
Note: Where is much used in composition with preposition, and
then is equivalent to a pronoun. Cf. Whereat,
Whereby, Wherefore, Wherein, etc.
Where away (Naut.), in what direction; as, where away is
the land?
Syn: See Whither.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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