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whichever

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Etymology and origin of the English word whichever

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1388, Wycliffite Psalms
Ultimate origins
English whichOld English ǣfre
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English ever
English whichever
From the same root
English forever ← ever
English however ← ever

Pronunciation

  • US: /wɪt͡ʃˈɛvɚ/, /ʍɪt͡ʃˈɛvɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English which + ever,[2][3][4][5][6] Middle English which ever, written at first as separate words.[4][2] The pronoun which goes back to Old English hwilc.[5] The emphatic whichsoever is attested from the mid 15th century, either from which and soever or from whichso (“whoever, any who”) and ever.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a relative pronoun, any or either of a definite set of people or things that: 1388, in the Wycliffite version of the Psalms.[2] Etymonline dates it to the late 14th century.[5] It was formerly also used of an indefinite set.[3]

Semantic evolution

From 1690, in Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding, it also introduced a clause of concession, "no matter which";[2][3] the Shorter Oxford quotes Swift: "which ever comes by the worst".[3] Both uses are current, as a pronoun and as a determiner before a noun.[7][4]

Timeline

  • 1388 – any one or ones of a set that.[2]
  • 1690 – no matter which.[2]

Modern meaning

Pronoun

  1. Whatever one or ones of a set; any one that: Take two of the books, whichever you like.
  2. No matter which: Whichever wins, the final will be close.

Determiner

  1. Any one or ones of several: Sit at whichever table is free.
  2. No matter which: Whichever road you take, you will reach the coast.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Whichever.” Etymologically, 24 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/whichever. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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