whereof

American

[wair-uhv, -ov, hwair-] / wɛərˈʌv, -ˈɒv, ʰwɛər- /

adverb

of what, which, or whom.

whereof British

/ wɛərˈɒv /

adverb

of what or which person or thing?

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

pronoun

of which (person or thing)

the man whereof I speak is no longer alive

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of whereof

First recorded in 1150–1200, whereof is from the Middle English word wherof. See where, of ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Karmel knew whereof he quipped — he’d been fat his whole life and at one point during his “Late Late” tenure topped the scales at 420 pounds.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2024

Slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited in the Nevada constitution “otherwise than in the punishment for crimes, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 23, 2023

“Crime or no crime, Isiah knows whereof he speaks,” Detroit Free Press, Sept. 27, 1986.

From Slate • Aug. 18, 2022

He took the trouble to make two things very clear: First, that he knew whereof he painted.

From Washington Post • Apr. 11, 2022

For Pliny and others make divers sorts of them, the best whereof is the Ethiopian.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023