Etymologically
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whichever

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 24 October 2026 at 18:41. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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