different between somehow vs why

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?s?mha?/

Adverb

somehow (not comparable)

1. In one way or another; in a way not yet known or explained; by some means
   • December 1, 2016, Tom Donaghy writing in The New York Times, Tender Side of Edward Albee

     It’s not by accident Edward wrote “The Goat,” “The Zoo Story” or “Seascape,” with its two lizards, Sarah and Leslie. In fact, in all of his plays the animal is pretty prominent, somehow or other.

   • Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers, of errand not wholly obvious to their fellows, yet of such sort as to call into query alike the nature of their errand and their own relations.

   • 1895, William Dean Howells, Mortality

     Have I not loathed to live again and said
     It would have been far better to be dead,
     And yet somehow, I know not why,
     Remained afraid to die!

Usage notes

The indefiniteness of somehow is emphasized by the addition of or other, or another or or the other.

Synonyms

• somewise
• someway

Translations

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English why, from Old English hw? (“why”), from Proto-Germanic *hw? (“by what, how”), from Proto-Indo-European *k?ey, instrumental case of *k?is (“who”), *k?id (“what”).

Cognate with Old Saxon hw? (“why”), hwiu (“how; why”), Middle High German wiu (“how, why”), archaic Danish and Norwegian Bokmål hvi (“why”), Norwegian Nynorsk kvi (“why”), Swedish vi (“why”), Faroese and Icelandic hví (“why”), Latin qu? (“why”), Ancient Greek ??? (peî, “where”). Compare Old English þ? (“because, since, on that account, therefore, then”, literally “by that, for that”). See thy.

Pronunciation

• enPR: hw?, w?, IPA^(key): /?a?/, /wa?/
• (in accents without the "wine-whine" merger)
• (in accents with the "wine-whine" merger)
• (in accents with the "wine-whine" merger)
• Rhymes: -a?
• Homophones: wye, Y, y (all only in accents with the wine-whine merger)

Adverb

why (not comparable)

1. For what cause, reason, or purpose (interrogative adverb).
   1. Introducing a complete question.
      • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

        Why do you have a map of the world?

   2. Introducing a verb phrase (bare infinitive clause).

   3. Introducing a noun or other phrase.

2. For which cause, reason, or purpose (relative adverb).

Synonyms

• how come, wherefore, to what end

Translations

Noun

why (plural whys or why's)

1. reason

Synonyms

• wherefore

Translations

Interjection

why

1. An exclamation used to express indignation, mild surprise, or impatience.
   • 1724, Daniel Defoe, Roxana: The Fortunate Mistress

     “Why, child, I tell thee if I was thy mother I would not disown thee; don't you see I am as kind to you as if I was your mother?”

     Why, thank you!

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

Noun

why (plural whies)

1. (Britain, dialect) A young heifer.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Grose to this entry?)

Further reading

• why in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• why in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• hwy, hwy.

Cornish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *sw?s (compare Breton c’hwi, Welsh chi, Old Irish síi), from Proto-Indo-European *wos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?i?/, /???/

Alternative forms

• hwi (Standard Written Form)

Pronoun

why

1. (Standard Cornish, Standard Written Form with Traditional Graphs) you (formal or plural)