• Whither

    Pronunciation

    • GenAm IPA: /ˈwɪðɚ/, /ˈʍɪðɚ/; enPR: wÄ­thʹər
    • RP IPA: /ˈwɪðə/
    • Rhymes: -ɪðə(ɹ)
    • Homophones: wither some accents

    Origin

    From Old English hwæder.

    Full definition of whither

    Adverb

    whither

    1. (literary or archaic) To which place.
      • 1918, Willa Cather, , Mirado Modern Classics, paperback edition, page 8The wagon jolted on, carrying me I knew not whither.
    What greatly encouraged me, it was in an opposite direction from that whence the blind man had made his appearance and whither he had presumably returned.
      • 1885, Robert Louis Stevenson, , Penguin Red Classics, paperback edition, page 24And with the same grave countenance he hurried through his breakfast and drove to the police station, whither the body had been carried.

    Usage notes

    This word is unusual in modern usage; where is much more common. It is more often encountered in older works, or when used poetically.

    Do not confuse with whether or wither.

    Derived terms

    Terms derived from whither

    Synonyms

    Antonyms

    Related terms

    Verb

    1. (intransitive, obsolete, dialectal) To wuther.
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