| whither | 1. To what place; used interrogatively; as, whither goest thou? "Whider may I flee?" "Sir Valentine, whither away so fast?" (Shak) 2. To what or which place; used relatively. "That no man should know . . . Whither that he went." (Chaucer) "We came unto the land whither thou sentest us." (Num. Xiii. 27) 3. To what point, degree, end, conclusion, or design; whereunto; whereto; used in a sense not physical. "Nor have I . . . Whither to appeal." (Milton) Any whither, to any place; anywhere. "Any whither, in hope of life eternal." . No whither, to no place; nowhere. Synonym: Where. Whither, Where. Whither properly implies motion to place, and where rest in a place. Whither is now, however, to a great extent, obsolete, except in poetry, or in compositions of a grave and serious character and in language where precision is required. Where has taken its place, as in the question, "Where are you going?" Origin: OE. Whider. AS. Hwider; akin to E. Where, who; cf. Goth. Hvadre whither. See Who, and cf. Hither, Thither. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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