| 释义 |
which, a. and pron.|hwɪtʃ|
Forms: see below.
[OE. hwelc, hwilc, hwylc corresp. to OFris. hwelik, hwel(e)k, hwek, hulk, huk, hok (Fris. wolk, wæk, huk, etc.), OS. hwilîc, MLG. welik, welk, MDu. welc, (LG., Du. welk), OHG. *hwalîh, uualîh, hwelîh, welîh, -ich, -eh (MHG. welh, welch, G. welch), Goth. hwileiks:—OTeut. *χwalīk-, *χwilīk- ‘of what form’, f. χwa-, χwi- (Indo-eur. qwo-, qwi- who, etc.) + *līko- body, form (cf. like a.). OE. hwelc (OWS. and Anglian), hwælc (Northumb.) and hwilc (chiefly WS.), represent primitive *hwalīk- and *hwilīk- respectively; later OE. has a rounded form hwylc of hwilc. The three OE. types hwelc, hwilc, hwylc gave three ME. types *hwelch, hwilch, hwülch, which became, by loss of l (cf. such), hwech, hwich, hwüch; the second of these types alone has survived in mod.English, the other two not remaining current after the 15th century. The forms with non-palatalization of the final consonant whilk (quhilk), occas. quhik, are northern (in ME. also East Anglian): cf. swilk, sic. Forms showing the absorption of w as in hulch, huch (cf. such for swuch, and OFris. huk) are rare.
Certain continental forms are compounded with other derivatives of the same pronominal stem; Goth. hwēleiks with the instrumental hwē (cf. hwēlauþs how great); ON. hvílíkr (MSw. hviliken, huilkin, hu(l)kin, Sw., Da. hvilken) with the locative hwī; OHG. hwêolîh, wiolîh (MHG. wielich) with the adv. hweo, weo (G. wie) how.
For the compounds ᵹehwilc, ǽᵹhwilc, see each.]
A. Illustration of Forms.
1. 1 hwelc, huelc, hwælc, huælc, huoelc, 3 hwælch, 4–5 wheche, weche, 5 whech, qwech(e, queche, (qheche); 3 qwel, 4 quelk.
[c725Corpus Gloss. Q 74 Quo cumque modo, ᵹehwelci weᵹa.] c825Vesp. Psalter xviii. 13 [xix. 12] Delicta quis intellegit, scylde hwelc onᵹeteð? c950Lindisf. Gosp. Mark ix. 34 Disputauerant quis esset illorum maior,..ᵹeflioton hua vel huelc woere hiora mara. Ibid. xii. 19 Si cuius frater mortuus fuerit,..ᵹef huælc vel æniᵹ broðer dead sie vel bið. c1200Vices & Virtues 21 An hwælche wise ic mihte betst sahtlin wið mine halend Criste. c1250qwel [see B. 8]. c1375Cursor M. 27236 (Fairf.) Þe prest agh spire..Of men þat ar in religioun Quelk reccheles prelatis is. 1387E.E. Wills (1882) 2 The cheste..weche they haue of myn. 1418Ibid. 44 Þe money þe qweche Oliuer hath in his hand. 14..Cast. Love 578 (MS. Bodl. Add. B. 107), Herkeneth wheche loue, wych bucsomnesse, Whiche grace & whiche swetnesse, That good from hevyn to alyȝht ches! 1449Marg. Paston in P. Lett. I. 82 Abok of sofystre..the qheche my seyd brother behestid my moder. c1450J. Capgrave Life St. Aug. xxxii, Þat þei schuld not denye o tyme whech þei graunted anoþer tyme. 1461Paston Lett. II. 10, I am enformyd, ye schall recuver of hard and but a part, the qwech schuld be dere of the sute.
2. (α) 1–3 hwilc, wilc, 3 hwilch, w(h)ilch, whilc, Orm. whillc (gen. whillkess, pl. whillke), 3–4 wilk, 4 wylke, 4–5 whylke, 4–6 whilke, 4–6, 7–9 dial. whilk, 5 wilke, 5–7 dial. whylk, (6 Sc. vhilk, pl. vhilks, 6–8 Sc. pl. whilks); 3–4 quilc, quilke, 4 qwilk, quylk, quhylk, (quil), 4–5 quilk, 4–8 Sc. quhilk (pl. 5–7 quhilkis, 6 quhilks).
a950ælfred's Boeth. xxxiv. §10 Hwilc ure mæᵹ areccan medemlice ures scyppendes willan? c975Rushw. Gosp. Matt. xxi. 24 Ic ek eow sæcge in wilce mæh[t]e ic þas do. c1200Ormin 471 whillc [see B. 4]. Ibid. 5283 O whillkess kinness wise. c1200Vices & Virtues 77 Whilch lean aust ðu te hauen of godd? Ibid. 125 Ȝif þu wilt witen wilke eiȝene ðe hierte muȝe habben. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 179 Hlisteð nu for hwat and o wilche wise. 13..quhylk [see B. 7 a]. 13..Northern Passion 256 (MS. Camb. Gg. 5. 31), Þai lukyd..Whylke [v.r. wylke] of þayme it myght be fall. 1424E.E. Wills (1882) 57, I wul my wyf haf my best ambeler, and my sone..wylk him likeþ best. 1585Jas. I Ess. Poesie (Arb.) 14 The vapouris..Whilks syne in cloudds are keiped closs and well. c1634W. Cartwright Ordinary iv. i, Lere me whylk way he wended. 1711in Nairne Peerage Evid. (1874) 132 To be..granted to the said deceast Robert lord Nairn and the airs male of his body whilks failzieing to the said Margaret now lady Nairn his daughter. 1819Scott Leg. Montrose iii, Their damnable skirlin' pipes, whilk they themselves pretend to understand.
c1250Gen. & Ex. 2350 Seið him quilke min blisses ben. Ibid. 3631 Quilc frud, quat offrende, quilc [MS. quil] laȝe. a1300Cursor M. 4788 Lok quilk of us sal tak on hand For vs alle do þis trauail. Ibid. 8454 Þe kind o thinges lerd he,..Quil war þair mightes soth and lele. 1387in Edin. Charters (1871) 35 In fourme the quylk eftir folowys. 1456Sir G. Haye Law Arms 1 The rubryis..be the quhilkis men may better knaw [etc.]. a1592whilke [see B. 2 b]. 1637–50Row Hist. Kirk (Wodrow Soc.) 123 The bukes of the Assemblie, all quhilkis I had preserved hole. 1724Ramsay Vision xvii, Starrie gleims, Quhilk prinkled.
(β) 2 hwic, wic, 2–3 hwich, (ȝwich), 3–6 wyche, wich, 4 hwych, pl. huiche, 4–5 wiche, 4–6 whiche, whyche, wych, 5 whych, (wycche, 6 wycch, Sc. vich, vhich), 4– which; 4–5 quiche, quyche, 5 quich, quych, qwiche, qwyche(e, 5–6 Sc. quhich; 5 Sc. quhik.
a1175Cott. Hom. 238 Wic ȝeie, wic drednesse wurð þer. Ibid. 243 Hwic scule beon ure sceld, sanctus paulus hus seið. a1200Moral Ode 136 Lutel he hit scaweð hwice hete is þer þa saule wuneð. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 141 Lusteð..wiche wise hie hine bisohte and hwich andswere he hire giaf. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 326 Vor to wite in ȝwiche stede is wonii[n]gge were. c1300Beket (Percy Soc.) 974 In whiche manere. 1340Ayenb. 129 Yziȝ wrechche ine huiche zorȝes and ine huiche perils þou art. c1375Cursor M. 21136 (Fairf.) Þat folk ilkane walde oþer steyuen Quiche muȝt come titist to heyuen. c1380Sir Ferumb. 511 A costrel..hwych ys ful of þat bame cler. 1390which [see B. 7 b]. 1415in 43rd Rep. Dep. Kpr. Publ. Rec. 584 On ye morou ye Fryday ye quich was yis day fourteneghte. 1471Paston Lett. Suppl. (1901) 138 Wycche mony I pray zow that [ye] bestowe yt as I wryth to zow. a1500Bernard. de cura rei fam. 215 A mane,..quhik al his fantasy Has geffyne to vice. 1551Crowley Pleas. & Payne 63 Ye..Wych wythout me had come to nought. 1585T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. i. vii. 6 The master of my skiffe, whiche presently..was made fast by the leg. a1600Montgomerie Sonn. lvi. 6 My teirs vhich so abound.
3. (α) 1 hwylc, 2 hwulch, hulch, 2–3 wulc, 3 whulc(h, wulch, 5 whulche.
871–889Charter in O.E. Texts 452/52 Swa hwylc mon swa hio wonie & breoce. c1175Lamb. Hom. 15 Hwulc mon is þet nauet to broken elche dei þas godes laȝe þe ic eou nu cweð. Ibid. 27 Þesne mon ic habbe itaken to mine aȝene bihofþe. Ma monna ic scolde biȝeten swa, bi hulche monna seið drihten in his spelle þa he þus cweþ [etc.]. Ibid. 49 Nu ȝe habbeð iherd wulc hit is for to iheren godes weordes and heom ethalden. c1205Lay. 2303 Þu nast of whulche londe heo com heder liðen. Ibid. 20735 For whulches cunnes þinge ligge we þus here. c1400St. Alexius (Vernon MS.) 207, I wolde fayn, & i wuste whulche.
(β) 3 hwuc, hwu(c)ch, wucch, 3–5 wuch(e, woch(e, 4 whuche, (wȝuch), 4–5 whuch, whoche, 5 whoch, huch.
c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 189 And to-ȝenes hwuch fo man agh furðien seið þe holi apostle. Ibid. 219 For woche þinge he nemnede [etc.]. a1225hwuc [see B. 1]. a1250Owl & Night. 1378 Bo wuch ho bo. c1320Cast. Love 110 Allas wȝuch serue and deol þer wes! c1400Beryn 176 Huch þe Pardoner, & he, pryuely in hir pouchis Þey put hem aftirward. 140126 Pol. Poems iii. 36 Whoche party may strengere be. 1422Yonge tr. Secr. Secr. 143 Wylde bestis, amonge woche euery olt hym abow hym to whome he is prere [? pere].
B. Signification.
I. Interrogative and allied uses.
For the distinction between the dependent interrogative and the relative, cf. note s.v. what A. I.**
†1. adj. Most usually predicative: Of what kind, quality, or character; also attrib. what kind of: = L. qualis. (The interrogative corresponding to the demonstrative such.) Obs.
In attrib. use (in sing.) sometimes followed by a.
c897ælfred Gregory's Past. C. lxv. 467 Ðær ic hæbbe ᵹetæht hwelc hierde bion sceal. c1000Ags. Gosp. Luke vii. 39 He wiste hwæt & hwylc þis wif wære.., þæt heo synful is. c1205Lay. 10120 Men..talden him tiðende of alle þere fore þe Petrus dude in Rome, and whulcne [c 1275 wochne] martirdom Petrus hauede vnder-fon. a1225Ancr. R. 64 Hwon Godes prophete makede swuche mone of eien, hwuc mone wenestu is to moni mon..icumen..of hore eien? c1250Gen. & Ex. 3212 Ðor he stunden for to sen Quilc pharaon wið hem sal ben. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 1189 So hii miȝte lerni wiche brutons were. c1320Cast. Love 53 To wȝuche a Castel he alihte, Þo he wolde here for vs fihte. 1388Wyclif James i. 24 Anoon he forȝat which he was. c1400tr. Secr. Secr., Gov. Lordsh. 104 Whiche ys þy fayth, and þy lawe? a1400–50Bk. Curtasye 301 in Babees Bk., To aske his nome, and qweche he be.
2. As general interrogative. (Mostly Obs.)
†a. adj. = what A. 13, 14. Obs. (or merged in 3 a.)
c900tr. Bæda's Hist. iv. xx[i]v. (1890) 348 Hwylc þearf is ðe husles? c1000Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxiv. 3 Seᵹe us..hwilc tacn si þines to-cymys. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 33 Þe engel..seweð a whilche wise and þuregh hwam þis blisse cumen sholde. c1290Beket 2323 in S. Eng. Leg. 173 In ȝwat manere he was a-slawe and ȝwuch tyme he was ded. c1305Jud. Isc. 101 in E.E.P. (1862) 110 Siþþe ic fond mie louerd aslawe y not in whiche wise. a1340Hampole Psalter Cant. 515 He leryd him in whilk degre,..and how he sould luf him. 1588Shakes. L.L.L. iv. i. 105 Clo. From my Lord to my Lady. Qu. From which Lord, to which Lady? 1715Leoni Palladio's Archit. (1745) II. 65 Nor ought any one to wonder, which way such vast Quantities of earthen Ware came here. 1752Chesterfield Lett. ccxcvi. (1792) IV. 6 In some congratulatory poem prefixed to some work, I have forgot which.
b. pron. = what A. 1, 6. Also (OE. and occas. later) = Who. Obs. exc. as a dial. or humorous substitute for what.
971Blickl. Hom. 169 Hwylc æteowde eow to fleonne fram ðon toweardan Godes erre? c1290St. Brendan 569 in S. Eng. Leg. 235 Man mai i-seo ȝwuch it is to ȝyuen oþur mannes þing with wouȝ. a1400Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. 240/738 Afftur þis schaltou witen þen Wȝuche ben þe comaundemens ten. c1400Brut 22 (heading), How iiij kynges curteisely helde al Britaigne; and whiche beth here names. 1548–9Bk. Com. Prayer, Catech., Tell me how many [commandments] there bee... Tenne. Whiche be they? a1592Greene Jas. IV, i. 657 Sike is the werld, but whilke is he I sawe? 1599Shakes. Much Ado ii. i. 107, I haue manie ill qualities? Bene. Which is one? Mar. I say my prayers alowd. 1648G. Sandys's Par. Ps. cxiv. 9 Recoyling Seas, which [ed. 1638 what] caus'd your dread?
1835A. Parker Trip to West & Texas 88 Ask a question, and if they do not understand you, they reply ‘which?’ 1848Dickens Dombey xxxviii, ‘I want a so-and-so’ he says—some hard name or other. ‘A which?’ says the Captain. 1891Kipling Light that Failed ix, Who's interfering with which? 1910P. W. Joyce Eng. as we speak it in Ireland 348 When a person does not quite catch what another says, there is generally a query... Our people often express this query by the single word ‘which?’ 1938W. Faulkner Unvanquished 83 Yankee say, ‘Sartoris, John Sartoris,’ and Marse John say, ‘Which? Say which?’ 1950― Coll. Stories 752 ‘Here,’ Weddel said, extending the tumbler... The Negro stopped... ‘Which?’ he said. He looked at the glass.
3. In limited sense, expressing a request for selection from a definite number: What one (or ones) of a (stated or implied) set of persons, things, or alternatives. (The current use.)
a. adj.
Sometimes, as in which way, indistinguishable from 2 a.
c1000Ags. Gosp. Matt. vii. 9 Hwylc man is of eow ᵹyf his sunu hyne bit hlafes sylst þu him stan? c1386Chaucer Reeve's T. 158 Whilk way is he geen? c1400Destr. Troy 12659 Þen þai fraynet qwiche freke, þat schuld first enter. 1535Coverdale 2 Kings iii. 8 Which waye wil we go vp? 1562J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. I iv, I know on which syde my bread is buttred. 1596Shakes. Merch. V. ii. ix. 11 Neuer to vnfold to any one Which casket 'twas I chose. 1667Milton P.L. iv. 73 Which way shall I flie? 1770Foote Lame Lover ii, A wise man should well weigh which party to take for. 1882Besant All Sorts xxi, Bound for some American port—I forget which. 1916T. R. Glover The Jesus of Hist. iv. 70 When the question is asked, ‘Was Jesus the Messiah?’ the obvious reply is, ‘Which Messiah?’
b. pron. († occas., in dependent clause, with the.)
c950Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. vi. 27 Quis autem uestrum..huælc uutetlice iurre? c1000Ags. Gosp. John xix. 24 Ne slite we hy, ac uton hleotan hwylces ures heo sy. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 928 Among hom..strif me miȝte ise Woch mest maisters were. a1300Cursor M. 15275 Ful wel i wat þe quilk o yow Þe tresun has puruaid. 13..St. Alexius 207 (MS. Laud 108) Lauedi, I wille ful fayn, and I wiste wilk. 1402Jack Upland 28 Frere, how many orders be in erthe, and which is the perfitest order? c1470Gol. & Gaw. 919 Quhilk that happynnit the lak, Couth na leid say! 1526Tindale John viii. 46 Which of you can rebuke me off synne? 1573–80Tusser Husb. (1878) 77 In making or mending as needeth thy ditch, get set to quick set it, learne cunningly whitch. 1599Shakes. Much Ado v. iv. 72 Which is Beatrice? Beat. I answer to that name. 1601R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. 2 Of these two I doe not know which to prefer. 1611Shakes. Wint. T. iv. iii. 94, I cannot tell..for which of his Vertues it was. 1660Fuller Mixt Contempl. xiii. 21 Two young Gentlemen were comparing their revenues together, vying which of them were the best. 1791Cowper Let. to W. Bagot 18 Mar., Indisposed..with gout or rheumatism, (for it seems uncertain which). 1857Ruskin Pol. Econ. Art Addenda 191 note, The contest between them is not..which shall get everything for himself. 1889Stevenson Ballantrae iii, But which is it to be? Fight or make friends?
4. adj. and pron. Repeated (in sense 3):
a. in each of two (or more) separate clauses, usually connected by a conj.
c897ælfred Gregory's Past. C. lix. 451 He us ᵹetacnode for hwelcum ðingum we sceolden ure godan weorc helan, & for hwelcum we hi sceolden cyðan. c1200Ormin 471–2 Prestess..& dæcness..Shifftedenn hemm bitwenenn Whillc here shollde serrfenn firrst, Whillc siþþenn i þe temmple. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 2562 Me nuste Woch was on ne woch was oþer. c1330R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) Prol. 17 To here.. whilk were foles, & whilk were wyse. 1575Turberv. Faulconrie 159 To note the naturall disposition of his Hawkes: as, whiche will flee beeing high.., and whiche best, when she is kepte lowe, whiche will flee best when she is set most sharpe and eager, and whyche contrary, and whiche in a meane betweene both. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. I. 407 Which ballot boxes were to be green and which red, which balls were to be of gold and which of silver..and a hundred more such trifles, were gravely considered. 1880Shorthouse John Inglesant xxvii, Trying..to make out..which was noble and which was groom.
b. in the same clause, in abbreviated expressions, esp. which is which = which is the one and which is the other; so which goes with which, etc.; also with another interrog., as who is to have which.
A jocular variant is contained in the phr. to tell tother from which.
a1300Cursor M. 9290 Wel sal he cun knau quilk es quilk, Fra the wick þe god to scil. 1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xii. iii. (Bodl. MS.), Þe furste manere hawkes takeþ onelich here praie fleinge briddes and þe secunde manere haukes..reeseþ on briddes þt setteþ one þe grounde. And þe briddes knowiþ whiche is whiche. c1412Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 445 Som tyme, afer men myghten lordes knowe By there array, from oþer folke; but now A man schal..musen a long throwe Whiche is whiche. 1559J. Aylmer Harborowe K 4, It was not to bee iudged by the greatnes or smalnes, but which was whose. 1564Harding Answ. Jewel 73 It is hard to fynde which keye serueth which locke. 1582N.T. (Rhem.) Mark xv. 24 Casting lottes vpon them, who should take which. 1605Shakes. Macb. iii. iv. 127 What is the night? Almost at oddes with morning, which is which. 1711Steele Spect. No. 41 ⁋4 There does not need any great Discernment to judge which are which. 1849C. Brontë Shirley xxiii, Caroline, looking round, met a new Robert,—the real Robert... ‘Well,’ said he,..‘which is which?’ 1881M. E. Braddon Asph. xii, To see which went best with which.
II. Exclamatory use.
†5. adj. (in non-collective sing. followed by a): = what B. 5, 5 b. Obs.
c888ælfred Boeth. xvi. §2 Ᵹif ᵹe nu ᵹesawan hwelce mus þæt wære hlaford ofer oðre mys,..mid hwelce hleahtre ᵹe woldon bion astered. a1175[see A. 2 β]. c1175Lamb. Hom. 19 Nimað ȝeme..hwilche ȝife he us ȝefeð. a1225Ancr. R. 134 Þenc hwuch pinen he þolede. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 7237 Hii seye þe soþnesse In wuch lecherie & oþer sunne þe prestes songe hor messe. c130511,000 Virgins 62 in E.E.P. (1862) 67 Louerd, which a cumpaignye of clene maidenes was þere. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. x. 27 Whiche lordes beth þis shrewes! c1386Chaucer Frankl. T. 714 Lo which a wyf was Alcestem. a1400–50Wars Alex. 1807 He tellis quyche a tunne of tresoure he hauys. c1430Pilgr. Lyf Manhode iii. v. (1869) 139 Harrow, which gret wood⁓shipe is þis. c1440Jacob's Well 102 Lo, whiche a worschip sche hadde, & whiche a ioye.
III. Relative uses.
* as simple relative.
6. adj. The ordinary relative adj.
Formerly in Sc. with pl. inflexion -s, -is: see A. 2 α. For the construction with a prep., cf. 7 a.
c1175Lamb. Hom. 27 Þesne mon ic habbe itaken to mine aȝene bihofþe. Ma monna ic scolde biȝeten swa, bi hulche monna seið drihten in his spelle þa he þus cweþ [etc.]. c1250Kent. Serm. in O.E. Misc. 30 Lecherie, spusbreche, Roberie,..and alle oþre euele deden, þurch wyche þinkes man ofserueth þet fer of helle. 13..Northern Passion 1309 (MS. Camb. Gg. I. 1) Þe tre of lif On woche [v.r. whilke] tre þat appil grewe. c1400Brut 229 His flesshe was restorede aȝein,..for whiche miracle þe good man & his frendes louede God and Seint Thomas. 1432–50tr. Higden (Rolls) II. 101 The thrydde realme was of Estesex..The kynges of whiche place..were obediente to other kynges. 1460J. Capgrave Chron. (Rolls) 166 He fond him ontretable; for whech cause the bischop cursid him. 1526Tindale Col. iii. 6 Fornicacion, vnclennes,..and covetousnes..: for which thynges sakes the wrath of god falleth on the chyldren off vnbeleve. 1585Jas. I Ess. Poesie (Arb.) 55 They are figures of Rhetorique and Dialectique, quhilkis airtis I professe nocht. 1610Shakes. Temp. i. ii. 277 She did confine thee..Into a clouen Pyne, within which rift Imprison'd, thou didst painefully remaine A dozen yeeres. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 71 It rain'd all Night and all Day,..during which time the Ship broke in pieces. 1800Wordsw. Hart-Leap Well, The monuments spoken of in the second Part of the following Poem, which monuments do now exist as I have there described them. 1831Carlyle Sart. Res. i. i, Concerning which last, indeed. 1892Photogr. Ann. II. 883 A 5 × 4 camera..(which size is now the most popular).
7. pron. The ordinary relative pronoun introducing an additional statement about the antecedent, the sense of the principal clause being complete without the relative clause; thus sometimes equivalent to ‘and that (it, they, etc.)’. (Cf. that rel. pron. 2.)
In this and following senses formerly sometimes followed by that (that conj. 6), occas. by as (cf. as adv. B. 27).
a. As obj. of a prep., which usually precedes which, but occas. stands at the end of the clause.
If the prep. depends on some other word (e.g. a n. or numeral), that word (with any that qualify or govern it) usually stands immediately before the prep.
c1175Lamb. Hom. 11 Drihten him bi-tahte twa stanene tables breode on hwulche godalmihti heofde iwriten þa ten laȝe. 13..Cursor M. 9540 (Gött.) Ilk-an gaf he substance an,..Widuten quhylk on nan manere Miht he in pes his kingriche ȝeme. 1423Jas. I Kingis Q. iii, A boke..Off quhich the name Is clepit.. Boece. 1451Paston Lett. Suppl. (1901) 35 A letter..qwych I send yow a copy of. 1590Spenser F.Q. i. xi. 29 A springing well, From which fast trickled forth a siluer flood. 1603in Gage Hengrave (1822) 32 One payer of little orgaynes wth a board wh they stand on. 1687A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 17 Our Ship stuck a ground, with the noise of which, our Captain awoke. 1726Adv. Capt. R. Boyle (1768) 113 Their Beards & Mustachoes..which they take a particular Pride in the Length or Largeness of. 1858Carlyle Fredk. Gt. ii. vii. I. 131 The Pope..being held..at a distance: the result of which was what we see. 1893M. Pemberton Iron Pirate ii, A..Scotsman, who carried the economy of his race even to the extent of flesh, of which he was sparse.
b. As subject or object of a verb.
Formerly sometimes used where as is now idiomatic, as in quot. 1688: cf. 10.
a1300E.E. Psalter ix. 16 In þis snare whilke þai hid swa. 1390Gower Conf. III. 132 His herbe propre is Rosmarine, Which schapen is for his covine. c1400Cursor M. 25391 (Cott. Galba) Þe blis of heuyn, Whilk seuyn vertuse vntill vs wins, And als fordose seuyn dedly sins. 1485Caxton Chas. Gt. 193 Eche took an hors..which ranne at al aduenture. c1550Rolland Crt. Venus Prol. 11 Complexiounis..Quhilkis ar thir four:..Phlegmatike..Sanguineane..Colerike..Melancolie, Quhilkis of nature ar wonder different. 1552Lyndesay Monarche 4373 This is ane maruellous Monarche, Quhilk hes power Imperiall Boith of the body and the Saull. a1613Brerewood Lang. & Relig. (1622) 201 The Italian, French, and Spanish: all which in a barbarous word haue beene called Romanse. 1650Fuller Pisgah i. xiii. 41 The Hebrews measuring their land by a bow-shot,..which..admits of variation. 1688Holme Armoury iii. 331/2 The Pitchfork (or Pikel, which we vulgarly call it). 1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 48, I spy'd a small Piece of a Rope, which I wonder'd I did not see at first. 1825T. Hook Sayings Ser. ii. Passion & Princ. x. III. 209 ‘And so good night’: saying which, he urbanely shook hands. 1872Morley Voltaire i. 3 Ideas..whose forms were old.., but which were full of seemingly inexhaustible novelty. 1875Jevons Money xix. 246 The United States government tried a similar experiment, which was soon discontinued.
c. Referring to a fact, circumstance, or statement. Now very common in spoken English.
Quot. 1950 is a mixed construction. Cf. and conj. 11 a.
1390Gower Conf. I. 12 To make pes betwen the kynges..Which is the propre duete Belongende unto the presthode. 1516in E. Lodge Illustr. (1838) I. 17 He would advise me to get me to some little house, with a few persons with me, which I have done. 1521in Essex Rev. XIII. 221 If she [sc. the ship] come not well home, which God forfende. 1597Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, v. ii. 34 You must now speake Sir Iohn Falstaffe faire, Which swimmes against your streame of Quality. 1669Boyle Contn. New Exper. i. xxxiv. 118, I order'd the Air to be let in very leisurely, upon which we could plainly see [etc.]. 1699Bentley Phal. xii. 320 The last part of the Sentence not..answering to the first; which is the proper definition of a Solœcism. 1760Sterne Tr. Shandy III. xxiv, I dragged her after me, by means of which she fell backwards soss against the bridge. 1787J. Fea Fish. Sc. Isl. 31 We have no Methodists settled amongst us, which is very fortunate. 1836Dickens Sk. Boz, Sentiment, Looking as amiable as they possibly could—which, by the by, is not saying much for them. 1839Ure Dict. Arts 1076 Yellow rosin contains some water, which black rosin does not. 1886[E. H. Dering] In Light of 20th Cent. iv. 65 Observation..only shows what is visible, which life is not. 1902H. James Wings of Dove I. iv. 85 He imaged it—which was enough as some proved vanity. 1914‘Ian Hay’ Knt. on Wheels xiii. § 3 They conformed to the rules,..observing the spirit rather than the letter of the law. Which was just as well. 1950Patterson & Conrad Scottsboro Boy ii. v. 122 He..said, ‘Haven't I told you black sons of bitches about talking after bed hours?’ ‘I wasn't talking,’ I said. And which I wasn't. 1981London Rev. Bks. 19 Feb.–4 Mar. 9/2 To be fair, Frances Partridge is concerned in this book to put the record straight on the central episode of Carrington's suicide: to emphasize Ralph Partridge's fear that this would happen, and his desperate efforts to avert it. Which is reasonable enough.
d. With a conjunction in the relative clause, usually following which, rarely preceding. arch.
In early use more frequently with pleonastic personal pronoun (see 14). For sylleptic uses see 15.
[1510: see 13 b.] a1548Hall Chron., Edw. IV 214 b, To conuey hym selfe into some other place, without delay, which if he did they assured hym, yt he should haue neither hurte nor damage. c1643Ld. Herbert Autobiog. (1824) 193 Oliver Herbert was forced to fly France, which, that he might do the better, I paid the said fencer 200 crowns. 1752Fielding Amelia iii. viii, The tears began to overflow—which, when he perceived, he stopt. 1796E. Inchbald Nature & Art xi. (1820) 29 Explanations followed all these questions; but which..require no recital here. 1835Chatto Rambles Northumbld. 106 A girl..returning home from milking..saw many fairies gamboling in the fields, but which were invisible to her companions. 1871Ruskin Fors Clav. iii. 14 It was not [then] esteemed of absolute necessity to put agreements between Christians in writing! Which if it were not now, you know we might save a great deal of money. 1883R. W. Dixon Mano ii. iv. 76 Which when he saw, thither full fast ran he.
e. Introducing a parenthetic qualifying clause inserted in the principal clause. (Cf. sense 11, quots. 1599, 1719.)
1560Rolland Seven Sages (Bann. Club) 50 He purposit, quhilk was wors, My awin Lady..to defors. 1611Beaum. & Fl. Maid's Trag. iii. ii, Are not you, Which is above all joyes, my constant friend? 1640E. Reynolds Passions xvi. 174 Strange Sinnes too (which is the curiositie and corruption of Nature) are marvellous attractive. 1862Ruskin Unto this Last ii. 40 Primarily, which is very notable and curious, I observe that men of business rarely know the meaning of the word ‘rich’. 1882Besant All Sorts vii, When, which happened every day, they forgot their disguises for a while, they talked quite freely.
8. a. Introducing a clause defining or restricting the antecedent and thus completing the sense. Regularly so used after the antecedent that (that dem. pron. 6), or after a prep. (see b); in other cases the more regular relative is thăt (that rel. pron. 1).
In modern printing usually distinguished from 7 by the absence of a comma before the relative (as in speech by the absence of a pause).
† all which continued in literary use till c 1850.
c1250Gen. & Ex. 170 So made god..Al erue, and wrim, and wilde der, Qwel man mai sen on werlde her. c1320Cast. Love 1434 Þe woundes..Wȝuche þat weoren on honden and feet. c1400Apol. Loll. 42 Man was maad to lord in alle creaturis, and forfetid not þat wyche synniþ not. 1598B. Jonson Ev. Man in Hum. ii. ii. (1601 Qo.), That land or nation best doth thriue, Which to smooth-fronted peace is most procliue. 1610Shakes. Temp. v. i. 204 It is you, that haue chalk'd forth the way Which brought vs hither. 1611Bible Gen. i. 7 God..diuided the waters, which were vnder the firmament, from the waters, which were aboue the firmament. 1619in Hales' Gold. Rem. ii. (1673) 125 This is all which is done this week. 1774Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) II. 335 Repairing the destruction, which they must often suffer, by their quick reproduction. 1824L. Murray Engl. Gram. (ed. 5) I. 74 After all which can be done, to render the definitions..comprehensive and accurate. 1834Newman Par. Serm. I. xix. 293 This is the path which leads to death. 1848Pusey Paroch. Serm. I. iv. (1873) 71 All which we are, except sin, He became. 1875Jevons Money xx. 254 Let us suppose that there is a town which is able to support two banks. 1918Act 8 Geo. V c. 5 §4 (2), If any person..makes..any statement which is false.
b. As obj. of a prep., which usually precedes the relative as in 7 a.
c1250Kent. Serm. in O.E. Misc. 31 Alle þo sennen þurch wiche me liest þo luue of gode almichti. a1300Cursor M. 17288 + 74 Þat friday was our leuedy day On wilk our lord slayn was. c1386Chaucer Sqr.'s T. 17, 18 And of the secte of which þat he was born He kepte his lay to which þat he was sworn. c1450Merlin ii. 32, I moste go in to that contre ffro whiche these be come to fecche me. 1663Extr. St. Papers rel. Friends Ser. ii. (1911) 173 Many more thinges which the controuersy of the Lord is against. 1700Congreve Way of World ii. iii, The Guilt with which you wou'd asperse me. 1830Macaulay Ess., Moore's Life Byron (1843) I. 336 They wrote concerning things the thought of which set their hearts on fire. 1839H. T. De la Beche Rep. Geol. Cornw., etc. xiv. 459 A bar upon which the sea breaks occurs at the entrance of the Kingsbridge estuary.
¶c. In anacoluthic construction, as in that rel. pron. 8. rare.
1729Law Serious C. ix, Direct your common actions to that end which they did.
9. Used of persons. Now only dial. except in speaking of people in a body, the ordinary word being who (objective whom) or (in sense b) that.
a. Introducing an additional statement, as in 7: thus sometimes = ‘and he (they, etc.)’.
a1300E.E. Psalter cxlv[i]. 3 Traiste never..in men sones, in whilk hele es nane. c1386Chaucer Frankl. T. 94 Hire freendes whiche þat knewe hir heuy thoght Conforten hire. ― Shipman's T. 153 Yow which I haue loued specially. 1447O. Bokenham Seyntys, Caecilia 201 Lord Jhesu Cryst, wych al thyng knowyst. a1450Knt. de la Tour 65 The holy man whiche had pitee of his neuew, sorufull he yede into his chapell. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxvi. 547 Charlemagn toke a messager whiche he sente to reynawde. 1526Tindale 1 Cor. xv. 57 Thankes be vnto God, whych hath geven vs victory. 1548–9Bk. Com. Prayer, Matins 2nd Collect, O God, which art author of peace, and louer of concorde. 1610Shakes. Temp. i. ii. 342, I am all the Subiects that you haue, Which first was min owne King. 1692O. Walker Grk. & Rom. Hist. ii. 310 He had nine Wives, all which he cast off successively. 1703Moxon Mech. Exerc. 254 The Master-Bricklayer, or else his Foreman (which ought to be an ingenious Workman). a1774Goldsm. tr. Scarron's Com. Rom. (1775) I. 200 A couple of women..one of which..leaned on the other's shoulder. 1837Dickens Pickw. xxxiv, Had been told it herself by Mrs. Mudberry which kept a mangle, and Mrs. Bunkin which clear-starched. 1899Scribner's Mag. XXV. 114/1 His mother had ten children, of which he was the oldest.
b. Introducing a defining clause, as in 8.
1338R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 224 Whan þei were inowe, on whilk þei mot afie. c1386Chaucer Pars. T. ⁋981 If ther be a confessour to which he may shriuen hym. 1483Acta Audit. in Acta Dom. Conc. II. Introd. 106 Because he mariit without his consent quhilk is his ourlord. 1526Tindale Matt. v. 10 Blessed are they which suffre persecucion for rightewesnes sake. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. IV 28 b, Entendyng to be reuenged on them whiche he sought for. 1600Surflet Country Farm vi. xxii. 803 The reader which is carefull of his health, may learne to make choise of such wine. 1605Shakes. Lear iv. vi. 215 Euery one heares that, which can distinguish sound. a1703Burkitt On N.T. Luke iv. 24 That Minister which prostitutes his Authority, frustrates the end of his Ministry. 1774J. Bryant Mythol. I. p. xiv, Those people which, I term Amonians. 1836J. Grant Random Recoll. Ho. Lords x. 224 Dugald Stewart, one of the greatest men which Scotland has produced. 1841Alison Hist. Eur. IX. lxix. 202 The wounded, which were carried past.., never failed to salute the Emperor. 1909Westm. Gaz. 9 July 2/2 He is on the high road to get all the men for which he has asked.
c. Still regularly used of a person in reference to character, function, or the like, in which case the sense is really 7 or 8.
1645Howell Twelve Treat. (1661) 233 The subject of this Discours were more proper to One of the long-Robe, which I am not. 1797Bp. Watson Apol. Christ. vi. (ed. 6) 180 He put two maid servants, which were called ministers, to the torture. 1842Borrow Bible in Spain (1843) II. x. 208 He was by no means the profound philologist which the notary had represented him to be. 1855Newman Callista xii. 108 He was not quite the craven..which she thought him.
10. Rarely used after an antecedent to which the ordinary correlative is as.
a. after same: = that rel. pron. 4.
b. after so or such: often equivalent to ‘that it (he, etc.)’.
1340, etc. [see same A. 1 a]. c1386[see such B. 12]. 1550Veron Godly Sayings Ep. Ded. (1846) 19 Who is so dul,..whiche..would not be moued too thankefulnes? 1596‘L. Piot’ Silvayn's Orator 401 No man ought to bind himselfe vnto such couenants which hee cannot..accomplish. 1605Camden Rem., Names 45 Barvch, Hebr. the same which Bennet, blessed. 1607Topsell Four-f. Beasts 326 A kind of wilde horsse which hath hornes like a Hart, and therefore I take it to bee the same which is called Hypellaphus. 1709,1888[see such B. 12]. 1802–12Bentham Ration. Judic. Evid. (1827) V. 321 There is not any argument so absurd, which is not daily received.
** as compound relative (or with ellipsis of antecedent).
†11. pron. That which, one which, something that: = what C. 1, 3 a; also of a person, One who; pl. Those which or who. Obs.
c1205Lay. 2167 Al Albanakes folc folden i-scohten Buten whilc þat þer at-wond þurh wode burȝe. c1430Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 8837 He dremed of you which him affrayed. c1470Henry Wallace xi. 321 Na men he tuk bot quhilk he hydder brocht. 1548Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. John vii. 31 Should he do greater thynges then whiche this man doeth? 1579Fulke Heskins' Parl. 105 They interprete literally, which the doctors did write figuratiuely. 1599Shakes. Much Ado iv. ii. 83, I am a wise fellow, and which is more, an officer, and which is more, a housholder. 1643Digges Unlawf. Taking up Arms 8, I shall desire one thing especially may be remembred, as which hath great influence upon all cases. 1654Z. Coke Logick 16 An ambiguous word is which indistinctly signifieth things that in nature are divers. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 75, I had the loose Earth to carry out; and which was of more Importance, I had the Cieling to prop up.
12. In generalized sense (adj. or pron.), with or without qualifying adv. (ever, so, etc.): Any (person or thing) that, whatever; usually, now always, with limitation of reference, as in 3: = whichever 1; also (with ever or soever) = whichever 2.
OE. swá hwilc (swá), ME. hwilch..so, se (see which-so), north. quilk sum, were ultimately superseded by which ever, soever (see whichever, whichsoever).
a890Charter in O.E. Texts 451 Swa hwylc minra fædrenmeᵹa swa ðæt sio. 900–30O.E. Chron. an. 755 (Parker MS.), Þæs cyninges þeᵹnas..þider urnon swa hwelc swa þonne ᵹearo wearþ. c1000Ags. Ps. (Th.) cxxxvii[i]. 4 [3] Swahwylce daᵹa ic þe deorne ciᵹe. c1220Bestiary 5 in O.E. Misc. 1 Bi wilc weie so he wile. a1225Ancr. R. 8 O hwuche wise se heo euer wule. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 497 Brut bad corineus for to chese of ech contrei..Ȝwich..him likede best. a1300Cursor M. 16373 Ask quilk sum yee will haue. c1400Rule St. Benet (prose) liii. 35 Þabbesse..ouþir a-noþir nunne, wilke sam sho cumandis. 1464–5in Acts Parlt. Scot. (1874) XII. 31/1 Thai personis..sall outhir entire þe kingis ward..or thane dewoide þe realmes..quhilk þat salbe seine maist expedient. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cccxli. 217/2 Whiche of them yt euer should breake this peace..shoulde rynne in the sentence of the pope. 1545T. Raynalde Byrth Mankynde 134 Whiche of these wayes so euer it cume it shall be very good to bathe the chylde. 1602Shakes. Ham. iv. vii. 13 My Vertue or my Plague, be it either which. 1633G. Herbert Temple, Home ix, Nothing but drought and dearth,..Which way so-e're I look, I see. 1667Milton P.L. iv. 75 Which way I flie is Hell; my self am Hell. 1690Child Disc. Trade (1698) 10 Which way ever we take our measures, to me it seems evident [etc.]. 1753Johnson Adventurer No. 69 ⁋10 Which way soever he turned his thoughts, impossibility and absurdity arose in opposition. 1824Scott St. Ronan's xvi, [He] lets a'things about the manse gang whilk gate they will. 1844S. R. Maitland Dark Ages xv. 243 The table was so large that, place it which way they would, it could not be prevented from shewing above water. 1877Tennyson Harold ii. ii. 141 But wherefore is the wind, Which way soever the vane-arrow swing, Not ever fair for England?
***
13. the which. arch.
a. as adj. = 6.
13..Cursor M. 9434 (Gött.) Þe first law was cald ‘of kinde,’..Þe toþer has ‘possitiue’ to name; Þe whilk lawe was forbed Adam. Forto ete þat fruit. 1447–8J. Shillingford Lett. (Camden 1871) 26 The whiche copies all y pray yow avysely to over rede. 1526Tindale Heb. x. 10 By the which will we are sanctified. 1607Topsell Four-f. Beasts 466 There was a lionesse which had whelpes in her den, the which den was obserued by a Beare, the which Beare on a day finding the den vnfortified,..entred..and slew the Lions whelpes. 1820Byron Mar. Fal. note, Wks. (1842) 193/1 Finished copying August..1820; the which copying makes ten times the toil of composing. a1850Rossetti Dante & Circle i. (1874) 98 Of the which thing I bethought me to speak unto her.
b. as pron. (a) = 7.
1340–70Alex. & Dind. 1127 Wo & wikkede paine, Þe whiche þe heie godus haten. 1461Paston Lett. II. 42 Desieryng to herre of ȝour welfar and good prosperite, the gwyche [sic] I pray God encresse. 1510in Leadam Sel. Cases Star Chamber (Selden Soc.) II. 69 If the whiche shuld contynewe..your seid Towne..shall wexe empty. 1526Tindale Gal. v. 21 The dedes of the flesshe..off the which I tell you before, as I have tolde you in tyme past. 1590Spenser F.Q. i. i. 36 Sweet slombring deaw, the which to sleepe them biddes. 1682Bunyan Holy War iii. (1905) 209 He told too, the which I had almost forgot, how Diabolus had put the Town of Mansoul into Arms. 1812Cary Dante, Parad. xxii. 146 [This world] o'er the which we stride So fiercely. 1884Tennyson Becket Prol., He holp the King to break down our castles, for the which I hate him.
(b) = 8.
a1300Cursor M. 146 How god bigan þe law hym gyfe Þe quilk the Iuus in suld life. 1470–85Malory Arthur xx. vii. 809, I told hym the peryls the which ben now fallen. 1526Tindale Acts xxvi. 16 To make the..a witnes both off the thynges which thou hast sene and off tho thynges in the which I will apere vnto the. 1611Bible James ii. 7 Doe not they blaspheme that worthy Name, by the which ye are called?
†c. as compound relative: = 11. Also qualified by soever: = 12. Obs.
1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. xx. 11/2, I knowe yt the most worthy..knight of my realme shall acheue for me, the whyche I coulde neuer attayne vnto. 1551Robinson tr. More's Utopia i. (1895) 89 For there is no waye so proffytable..as the whiche hath a shewe and coloure of iustice. 1581J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 67 We follow not your fayth, as the which we have tasted to bee..most detestable. 1660Heylin Hist. Quinquart. ii. 7 To put his hunting spear amongst them, and the which of them soever should lay hold upon it, should be..drawn out of the water.
†d. Of persons: = 9.
1338R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 52 Emme þe quene..of þe whilk was born Alfred & Edward. c1386Chaucer Frankl. T. 452 This Briton clerk hym asked of felawes The whiche þat he had knowe in olde dawes. 1470–85Malory Arthur i. xviii. 64 Kynge Ryence of North walys the whiche was a myghty man of men. c1500Lancelot 184 The metire and the cuning..Quhilk I submyt to the correccioune Of yaim the quhich that is discret & wys. 1567Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 172 Geue Christ, the quhilk hes me redrest, Be on my syde. 1596Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, ii. i. 78 There are other Troians that yu dream'st not of, the which (for sport sake) are content to doe the Profession some grace. 1606G. W[oodcocke] Hist. Ivstine xxiii. 85 He the which was Lord of infinit riches to daie, was scarce maister of any to morrow.
**** Peculiar constructions. (See also 7 d, 8 c.)
14. a. (as pron. or adj.) With pleonastic personal pronoun or equivalent in the latter part of the relative clause, referring to the antecedent, which thus serving merely to link the clauses together: (a) with the pers. pron. (or the antecedent noun repeated) as subj. or obj. to a verb (principal or subordinate) in the relative clause, which is usually complex; (b) with genitive of pers. pron. (or equivalent, as thereof), which together with this being equivalent to the genitive of the relative (whose, of which): cf. that rel. pron. 9.
(a)c1374Chaucer Troylus ii. 654 Þis is he, which þat myn vncle swereth he mot be ded. 1449Paston Lett. I. 84 Yowr wurschupfull ustate, the whyche All myghte God mayntayne hyt. 1481Cov. Leet Bk. 493 Which yf it so be, we haue gret cause of displeasure. 1526Tindale John xxi. 25 There are also many other thynges which Jesus did, the which yff they shulde be written every won, I suppose [etc.]. 1589Puttenham Engl. Poesie iii. iv. (Arb.) 159 Ye finde these words, penetrate, penetrable, indignitie, which I cannot see how we may spare them. 1655Fuller Ch. Hist. ix. vi. §27. 175 A Schedule containing his heresies, (which what they were may be collected by that which ensueth). 1690Locke Govt. ii. v. §42 (1694) 196 Provisions..which how much they exceed the other in value,..he will then see. 1726G. Shelvocke Voy. round World Pref. p. vii, Scandalous and unjust Aspersions..which, how far I deserve them, I shall leave to the candid opinion of every unprejudiced Reader. 1768Sterne Sent. Journ. II. Fragment, The history of myself, which, I could not die in peace unless I left it as a legacy to the world.
(b)c1374Chaucer Troylus ii. 318 Þe kynges dere sone,..which alwey for to do wel is his wone. 1470–85Malory Arthur xvii. xi. 705 Ther is in this Castel a gentylwoman whiche we and this castel is hers. c1530Ld. Berners Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814) 270 To do many thynges, the whyche the hurte therof lyghteth on theyr owne neckes. 1622Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. ii. 164 Take away..mens credits, and estates.., which lies not afterwards in their power to make restitution thereof. 1721Bradley Philos. Acc. Wks. Nat. 90 Bulbous-rooted Plants, which when the Leaves of them decay, a new framed Root..supplies their Loss.
¶b. Hence, in vulgar use, without any antecedent, as a mere connective or introductory particle.
1723Swift Mary the Cook-Maid's Let. 13 Which, and I am sure I have been his servant four years since October, And he never call'd me worse than sweetheart, drunk or sober. 1862Thackeray Philip xvi, ‘That noble young fellow’, says my general... Which noble his conduct I own it has been. 1870B. Harte Truthful James, Answ. to Let. viii, Which I have a small favor to ask you, As concerns a bull-pup, which the same,—If the duty would not overtask you,—You would please to procure for me, game. 1905Daily Chron. 21 Oct. 4/7 If anything 'appens to you—which God be between you and 'arm—I'll look after the kids.
¶15. In sylleptic construction, e.g. as obj. of two different verbs, or of a prep. and a verb, or as obj. of one verb and subj. of another; giving the effect of ellipsis of a personal pronoun (it, them).
1687Wood Life (O.H.S.) III. 238 Dr. Dolbein..did read much of his sermon before the king..which the king telling him of, he never after did. a1697A. Horneck Gt. Law Consid. v. (1702) 302 To see me roll Sisyphus his Stone, which when I have brought to such a pitch, rolls down again. 1741Johnson's Debates (1787) I. 390 A quality..which, if we could obtain, would add nothing to our honour. 1796E. Hamilton Lett. Hindoo Rajah (1811) II. 271 They still retained an authority over his mind, at which, though his pride revolted, his understanding could not conquer. 1818H. F. Clinton Lit. Rem. (1854) 24 These were works which, though I often inspected, I did not accurately study.
16. Preceded by and.
a. in regular construction, and connecting two relative clauses, or an adjectival phrase and a relative clause, qualifying the same n.
1579–80North Plutarch, J. Cæsar (1595) 771 An army vnuincible, & which they could not possibly withstand. 1668Dryden Dram. Poesy Ess. 1900 I. 78 We have many plays of ours as regular as any of theirs, and which, besides, have more variety of plot and characters. 1779Johnson L.P., Addison (1868) 225 Two books yet celebrated..for purity and elegance, and which, if they are now less read, are neglected only because [etc.]. 1804–6Syd. Smith Mor. Philos. (1850) 284 The habit of contradicting, into which young men..are apt to fall; and which is a habit extremely injurious to the powers of the understanding. 1810Southey Ess. (1832) I. 40 The subject..was one of great difficulty and which required very serious consideration. 1876Ruskin Fors Clav. lxx. VI. 315 If the dog have the good fortune to find a master, he has a possession..better than bones; and which, indeed, he will..leave, not his meat only, but his life for.
¶b. in erroneous or illogical use, either and or which being superfluous.
1606G. W[oodcocke] Hist. Ivstine etc. L l 3, Galeaze..who had conquered a great part of Italy, and which inheritance discended to his Nephews. 1608Topsell Serpents 288 His forefeet being like hands, are forked and twisted very strong, & with which it fighteth and taketh his prey. 1748G. White in Jrnl. Sacred Lit. (1863) July 299 For the proper return to virtue and Good-works is Honour, & Love; this is their Due, and which ought to be rendered to them by all people. 1796E. Inchbald Nature & Art xvi. (1820) 42 The dean had just published a pamphlet in his own name, and in which that of his friend the bishop was only mentioned with thanks for hints. 1848W. Templeton Locomot. Eng. (ed. 2) 71 A recent occurrence..seems..to have established the fact of steam being highly charged with electricity, and which may..be the means of increasing our knowledge [etc.]. 1861G. W. Dasent Burnt Njal I. p. lviii, Every temple must contain a ring of at least two ounces in weight, and which the priest was to bear on his arm. |