wherewith

English

Etymology

From where +‎ with.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /wɛːˈwɪð/ (in accents with the "wine-whine" merger)
• (US) IPA^(key): /ʍɛɚˈwɪð/ (in accents without the "wine-whine" merger)
• (US, also) IPA^(key): /ʍɛɚˈwɪθ/ (in accents without the "wine-whine" merger)
• (US) IPA^(key): /wɛɚˈwɪð/ (in accents with the "wine-whine" merger)
• (US, also) IPA^(key): /wɛɚˈwɪθ/ (in accents with the "wine-whine" merger)

Adverb

wherewith (not comparable)

1. (archaic) With which; with what.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981:

     Matthew 5:13:

     Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981:

     Zechariah 14:12:

     And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem.

   • 1885, Christina G[eorgina] Rossetti, “Love Came Down at Christmas [originally untitled]”, in Time Flies: A Reading Diary, London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, OCLC 2226947:

     […] Worship we the Godhead, / Love Incarnate, Love Divine, / Worship we our Jesus, / But wherewith for sacred sign? // Love shall be our token, / Love be yours and love be mine, / Love to God and all men, / Love for plea and gift and sign.

Translations

with which

• Dutch: waarmee (nl)
• Finnish: millä (fi)
• French: avec quoi
• German: womit (de)

• Norwegian:

  Riksmål: hvormed

• Portuguese: com que
• Swedish: varmed (sv)

Noun

wherewith (usually uncountable, plural wherewiths)

1. (archaic) Something with which; the means by which.

   Synonym: wherewithal

   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes, […], book II, printed at London: By Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:

     Hath not he wherewith [transl. dequoy] to be beholding unto this his killing vivacitie?

See also

Here-, there-, and where- words

• (about): hereabout, thereabout, whereabout
• (abouts): hereabouts, thereabouts, whereabouts
• (after): hereafter, thereafter, whereafter
• (again): thereagain
• (against): thereagainst, whereagainst
• (among): thereamong, whereamong
• (around): therearound
• (as): thereas, whereas
• (at): hereat, thereat, whereat
• (before): herebefore, therebefore
• (beside): therebeside
• (by): hereby, thereby, whereby
• (fore): herefore, therefore, wherefore
• (from): herefrom, therefrom, wherefrom
• (in): herein, therein, wherein
• (in after): hereinafter, thereinafter, whereinafter
• (in before): hereinbefore, thereinbefore, whereinbefore
• (into): hereinto, thereinto, whereinto
• (of): hereof, thereof, whereof
• (on): hereon, thereon, whereon
• (to): hereto, thereto, whereto
• (tofore): heretofore, theretofore, wheretofore
• (under): hereunder, thereunder, whereunder
• (unto): hereunto, thereunto, whereunto
• (upon): hereupon, thereupon, whereupon
• (with): herewith, therewith, wherewith
• (withal): herewithal, therewithal, wherewithal