whose
[ hooz ]
/ huz /
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pronoun
(the possessive case of who used as an adjective): Whose umbrella did I take? Whose is this one?
(the possessive case of which used as an adjective): a word whose meaning escapes me; an animal whose fur changes color.
the one or ones belonging to what person or persons: Whose painting won the third prize?
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Question 1 of 7
Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT Origin of whose
First recorded before 900; Middle English whos, early Middle English hwās; replacing hwas, Old English hwæs, genitive of interrogative pronoun hwā who
usage note for whose
2. Sometimes the phrase of which is used as the possessive of which: Chicago is a city of which the attractions are many or Chicago is a city the attractions of which are many. The use of this phrase can often seem awkward or pretentious, whereas whose sounds more idiomatic: Chicago is a city whose attractions are many.
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH whose
who's, whoseWords nearby whose
whorled, whort, whortleberry, who's, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, whose, whosesoever, whosever, whosis, whoso, whosoever
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for whose
whose
/ (huːz) /
determiner
- of whom? belonging to whom? used in direct and indirect questionsI told him whose fault it was; whose car is this?
- (as pronoun)whose is that?
of whom; belonging to whom; of which; belonging to which: used as a relative pronouna house whose windows are broken
Word Origin for whose
Old English hwæs, genitive of hwā who and hwæt what
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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