# why

Pronunciation: say "WY" /waɪ/

## Adverb

1. For what reason, cause, or purpose.
   - Simple: For what reason or purpose, used when asking a question.
   - _Why are the shops closed today?_
   - _Nobody could explain why the alarm went off._
2. The reason or cause for which something happens or is done.
   - Simple: The reason for something, as in 'That's why I left' or 'the reason why she resigned'.
   - _That is why we need a second opinion._
   - _The road was flooded, which is why the bus was late._
3. Used rhetorically to question the point of doing something ('Why wait?') or, with not or a negative, to make a suggestion ('Why not ask her?', 'Why don't we stop for coffee?').
   - Simple: Used to suggest doing something, or to say there is no point in doing it.
   - _Why wait until tomorrow?_
   - _Why not start with the easy questions?_

## Noun

4. Reason, as a noun ('the who, the what, the when, the where, the why and the how'; 'that's my why'); plural 'whys' or 'why's'.
   - Simple: The reason for something, used as a noun.
   - _Every good business starts with a why._
   - _The whys and wherefores were never explained._

## Verb

6. To ask 'why?', or to ask (someone) why ('once you start whying, there's no end to it'); intransitive or transitive.
   - Simple: To keep asking 'why?', or to ask someone why.

## Interjection

5. Dated or literary interjection of mild surprise, indignation or impatience, or simply to open a reply ('Why yes, that's true'; 'Why, child, I tell thee…'). *(dated)*
   - Simple: An old-fashioned word said at the start of a sentence to show surprise.
   - _Why, it's you! I didn't recognize you._
   - _Why yes, I'd love a cup of tea._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A young heifer.

## Origin

"Why" comes from Middle English why, from Old English hwȳ, from Proto-Germanic *hwī ("by what, how"), which goes back to the Proto-Indo-European instrumental case of the words for "who" and "what." It is related to Latin quī ("why"), Icelandic hví, and Swedish vi, among others.

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