adv. (sb.) Forms: α. 2–3 hwarfore, 3 waruore, quor-fore, 4 quar-fore, quer-fore, huervore, werfore, 4–5 warfore, 4–7 wherfore, 5 wharfore, wher-ffore, qw(h)erf(f)ore, Sc. qwharfore, 5–6 Sc. quharfore, 6 Sc. quhairfore. β. 3 werefore, ware uore, 4 warefore, where-fore, 5 wharefore, qwereffore, Sc. quharefore, 6 Sc. quherefore, 5– wherefore. γ. 4 wharfor, quarfor, querfor, 4–5 warfor, 4–6 Sc. quharfor, 5 werfor, qwer for, 5–6 wherf(f)or, 6 Sc. qwarfor, quhairfoir, 6–8 Sc. quhairfor, 7 Sc. quherfoer. δ. 4 quere-for, 6, 9 wherefor. [f. WHERE 15 + FOR prep. Cf. Du. waarvoor, ON. hvar fyrir, MSw. hvarfore, Sw. varfor, Da. hvorfor, G. wofür. For the spellings cf. THEREFORE.]
I. Interrogative uses.
For the dependent or indirect interrogative use, and its distinction from the relative, cf. WHAT A. I.**
1. For what? esp. for what purpose or end? (Often scarcely distinguishable from 2.)
c. 1200. Vices & Virtues, 45. Þu finst feawe ðe wile ȝiuen ðe ani þing, bute hie witen hwarfore.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 1296. Seth þen sette him spell o-nend And tald him warfor þat he was send. Ibid. (13[?]), 1734 (Gött.). He teld þat resun to mani a man, Quarfor he suilk a schip bigan.
1476. Stoner Papers (Camden), II. 12 (MS.). I vnderstonde there schalle be a gret Counsell, whereffore I wat nere.
1555. in Feuillerat, Revels Q. Mary (1914), 199. As herunder the partyes names and somes of monye due and wherfore perticlerly ensue.
1590. Shaks., Com. Err., III. i. 40. E. Ant. … Open the dore. S. Dro. Right sir, Ile tell you when, and you’ll tell me wherefore. Ant. Wherefore? for my dinner. Ibid. (1593), Rich. II., II. iii. 122. Wherefore was I borne?
1667. Milton, P. L., IV. 657. But wherfore all night long shine these…?
1846. Mrs. A. Marsh, Father Darcy, xxix. Here I am—wherefore come, I have to learn.
2. For what cause or reason? on what account? why? (Freq. with ellipsis; often coupled with why for emphasis.)
c. 1230. Hali Meid., 15. Þe feondes flan fleoð awei aȝain on him seluen, and loke hwarfore.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 1632. Iacob calde ðat stede betel; Quor-fore he it dede, he wiste wel.
c. 1325. Metr. Hom., 3. His felau thoht herof ferly. And asked him quarfor and qui.
1423. James I., Kingis Q., ii. As I lay In bed allone waking,… Fell me to mynd of many diuerse thing, Off this and that; can I noght say quharfore.
1535. Coverdale, 2 Sam. xii. 23. Now that it is deed, wherfore shulde I fast?
1585. Jas. I., Ess. Poesie (Arb.), 54. Ze may maruell paraventure, quhairfore I sould haue writtin in that mater.
1663. Butler, Hud., I. i. 8. Whose honesty they all durst swear for, Though not a man of them knew wherefore.
1781. Cowper, Truth, 12. Hard lot of man—to toil for the reward of virtue, and yet lose it! Wherefore hard?
1809. Malkin, Gil Blas, X. ix. (Rtldg.), 362. You … ran away … without leaving me word why or wherefore.
1853. Dickens, Bleak Ho., xx. If he be ever asked how, why, when, or wherefore, he shuts up one eye and shakes his head.
1873. Longf., Michael Ang., I. IV. But wherefore should I jest?
II. Relative uses.
3. For which. Now distinguished by stress and spelling (wherefo·r).
† Without anything wherefore, without a return or equivalent; † to do wherefore, to make a return, give an equivalent.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 7526. Willam hit sende hire vaire inou wiþoute eny þing ware uore.
1377. [see WHEREBY 2].
a. 1400. in Engl. Gilds (1870), 353. No wollemongere … ne may habbe no stal in þe heye-stret of Wynchestre bote he do war-fore.
c. 1400. Rule St. Benet (prose), 27/22. Þa þat serue sal ta yeme til þam þat etes, þat tay haue na defaute of þat tay sal haue, wharfore þai make na noise.
1530. Tindale, Answ. More, III. i. Wks. (1573), 304/1. That we be bounde to beleue the church in thinges, wherefore they haue no scripture.
1551. Crowley, Pleas. & Payne, 62. I … gaue you that wherefore ye sought.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., V. ii. 1. Peace to this meeting, wherefore we are met.
1870. Morris, Earthly Par., III. 194. He … gat him down … unto the town, Where for the high-tide folk were dight.
1913. Act 344 Geo. V., c. 20 § 118 (1) (d). All sums … the liability wherefor accrued before the said date.
4. On account of or because of which; in consequence or as a result of which. Chiefly with sb. (esp. reason or cause) as antecedent. arch.
c. 1250. Kent. Serm., in O. E. Misc., 28. Gode werkes þet bieth þo offringes … werefore se christenman … of-seruet þo blisce of heuene.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 10784. Þar es resuns … Quar-for godd wald sco spused were.
1340. Ayenb., 45. Greate blasfemies of god and of his halȝen hueruore god him wreþeþ.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), xxxii. 145. Þou schall fynd na thing with vs wharfore þou schuld werray apon vs.
1474. Caxton, Chesse, I. iii. (1883), 13. The causes wherfore this playe was founden ben thre.
1495. Liber Festivalis, v iij/2. I denounse … all tho that purchasen lettres of ony lordes courte wherfore letynge is made in cristen courte.
1597. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., V. lxiii. § 1. The true reason wherfore Christ doth loue belieuers is because their belief is the gift of God.
1829. Southey, Sir T. More, II. 187. The reason is sufficiently manifest wherefore a preference for republican institutions should hitherto have been shown.
5. Introducing a clause expressing a consequence or inference from what has just been stated: On which account; for which reason; which being the case; and therefore. (Now always whe·refore.)
a. 1300. Cursor M., 16806. Þen com word to sir pilat … Of all thingez þat by-fell, Wharfor he wex radd.
1340. Hampole, Pr. Consc., 1194. Whar-for worldes worshepe may be cald Noght elles.
1456. Sir G. Haye, Law Arms (S.T.S.), 232. This barne is all innocent…, quharefore he aw nocht to be grevit.
c. 1500. Melusine, 361. And ryght forth said geffray, ‘I chalenge the, wherfor deffende the.’
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, xxviii. 15. Sowtaris, with schone weill maid and meit, Ȝe mend the faltis of ill maid feit, Quhairfoir to Hevin ȝour saulis will fle.
c. 1620. A. Hume, Brit. Tongue (1865), 10. Quherfoer in this case I wald commend to our men the imitation of the greek and latin.
1766. Goldsm., Vic. Wakef., xxii. I could not continue a silent spectator of her distress: wherefore, assuming a degree of severity in my voice and manner [etc.].
1842. Tennyson, Morte d’Arth., 248. More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day.
1882. Besant, All Sorts, xxix. A person, you see, is an individual, or an indivisible thing. Wherefore, let us not despise our neighbour.
† b. Followed by soever: For whatever reason; on whatever account. Obs. rare.
c. 1230. Hali Meid., 61. Sone so þu telles te betere þen an oðer—beo it hwerfore se hit eauer beo,… þu marres ti meidenhad.
c. 1530. Ld. Berners, Arth. Lyt. Bryt., lxxv. (1814), 331. He is in a great study, wherfore so euer it be.
1587. Golding, De Mornay, xxxii. (1592), 514. But come they once in Question, wherefore soeuer it bee, let them not escape.
III. 6. as sb. A question beginning with wherefore, or (more usually) the answer to such question; cause, reason. Often following why similarly used.
1590. Shaks., Com. Err., II. ii. 45. Ant. Shall I tell you why? S. Dro. I sir, and wherefore; for they say, euery why hath a wherefore.
1624. Fletcher, Rule a Wife, III. i. Such as are understanding in their draughts, And dispute learnedly the whyes and wherefores.
1641. ‘Smectymnuus,’ Vind. Answ., xiii. 144. But let him first answer our Therefores, and wee will quickly answer his Wherefores.
1719. Ramsay, To Arbuckle, 6. [He] disna care for A how, a what way, or a wherefore.
1838. Dickens, O. Twist, xxxi. They will have the why and the wherefore, and will take nothing for granted.
1884. Annie S. Swan, Dorothea Kirke, xiv. I am carried back to the days when I rebelled and demanded the wherefore of all God’s dealings with me.
