Whether \Wheth"er\, pron. [OE. whether, AS. hw[ae]?er; akin to
OS. hwe?ar, OFries. hweder, OHG. hwedar, wedar, G. weder,
conj., neither, Icel. hv[=a]rr whether, Goth. hwa?ar, Lith.
katras, L. uter, Gr. ?, ?, Skr. katara, from the
interrogatively pronoun, in AS. hw[=a] who. ????. See Who,
and cf. Either, Neither, Or, conj.]
Which (of two); which one (of two); -- used interrogatively
and relatively. [Archaic]
[1913 Webster]
Now choose yourself whether that you liketh. --Chaucer.
[1913 Webster]
One day in doubt I cast for to compare
Whether in beauties' glory did exceed. --Spenser.
[1913 Webster]
Whether of them twain did the will of his father?
--Matt. xxi.
31.
[1913 Webster]
|
Whether \Wheth"er\, conj.
In case; if; -- used to introduce the first or two or more
alternative clauses, the other or others being connected by
or, or by or whether. When the second of two alternatives is
the simple negative of the first it is sometimes only
indicated by the particle not or no after the correlative,
and sometimes it is omitted entirely as being distinctly
implied in the whether of the first.
[1913 Webster]
And now who knows
But you, Lorenzo, whether I am yours? --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
You have said; but whether wisely or no, let the forest
judge. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether
we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live
therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. --Rom. xiv. 8.
[1913 Webster]
But whether thus these things, or whether not;
Whether the sun, predominant in heaven,
Rise on the earth, or earth rise on the sun, . . .
Solicit not thy thoughts with matters hid. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
Whether or no, in either case; in any case; as, I will go
whether or no.
Whether that, whether. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
|