# whether

Pronunciation: say "WETH-ur" /ˈwɛðə(ɹ)/

## Conjunction

1. Introduces an indirect question about whether something is true, or which of two or more possibilities is the case.
   - Simple: Used to talk about a yes-or-no question, or a choice between possibilities, as in I wonder whether it will rain.
   - _The committee debated whether the proposal met the funding criteria._
   - _He wondered whether his message had ever arrived._
2. Introduces an adverbial clause stating that the main clause holds regardless of which alternative is true, paired with the correlative or.
   - Simple: Used to say that something stays true no matter which of the possible choices happens.
   - _Whether by accident or design, the policy widened the gap between regions._
   - _The festival proceeds outdoors, whether the weather cooperates or not._

## Conjunction

3. Begins a direct question asking which of two alternatives is the case, often paired with the correlative or. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Used to begin a direct question that asks which of two choices is the case.

## Pronoun

4. Stands alone in place of a noun to ask which of two persons or things is meant. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Used on its own to ask which one of two.

## Determiner

5. Stands before a noun to mark which of two referents is intended. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Used before a noun to ask which one of two is meant.

## Origin

From Middle English whether, from Old English hweþer, going back to Proto-Germanic *hwaþeraz, a comparative form of *hwaz ("who"). It is related to German weder ("neither"), Swedish var ("each, every"), and Icelandic hvor ("each of two").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/whether (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).