wherefore - a podcast by Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 30, 2021 is: wherefore \WAIR-for\ adverb
1 : for what reason or purpose : [why](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/why)

2 : [therefore](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/therefore)

Examples:

"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" — William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 1594-95

"According to The Blast, the legal filing said 'Wherefore, Petitioner requests an order of this court that the conservatorship of the person of Britney Jean Spears, the conservatee, be terminated.'" — Justin Enriquez, ­The Daily Mail (US), 18 June 2021

Did you know?

In early English, a number of new words were formed by combining [where](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/where) with a preposition. In such words, where had the meaning of "what" or "which"—hence, [wherein](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wherein) ("in what"), [whereon](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whereon) ("on what"), and wherefore ("for what"). Although wherefore as an adverb is rarely used today, the [noun](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wherefore#h2) form, meaning "an answer or statement giving an explanation," survives in the phrase "the whys and wherefores."

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