different between what vs anything

English

Etymology

From Middle English what, from Old English hwæt (“what”), from Proto-Germanic *hwat (“what”), from Proto-Indo-European *k?ód (“what”), neuter form of *k?ós (“who”). Cognate with Scots whit (“what”), North Frisian wat (“what”), Saterland Frisian wat (“what”), West Frisian wat (“what”), Dutch wat (“what”), Low German wat (“what”), German was (“what”), Danish hvad (“what”), Norwegian Bokmål hva (“what”), Swedish vad (“what”), Norwegian Nynorsk kva (“what”), Icelandic hvað (“what”), Latin quod (“what, which”).

Pronunciation

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /w?t/
• (UK, General New Zealand) enPR: hw?t, w?t, IPA^(key): /??t/, /w?t/
  • (in accents with the wine–whine merger)
• (NYC) enPR: w?t, IPA^(key): /w?t/
  • (wine–whine merged)
• Rhymes: -?t
• Homophones: Watt, watt, wot (all only in British, Australian, New Zealand, New York City accents with the wine–whine merger)
• (Canada, US) enPR: hw?t, w?t, IPA^(key): (without wine–whine merger) /??t/, (with wine–whine merger) /w?t/
  • (Canada, US, unstressed) IPA^(key): (flapped) [w??], (glottalized) [w??]
  • (stressed, in accents without the wine–whine merger)
  • (stressed, in accents with the wine–whine merger)
  • (unstressed, flapped, whine-wine merged)
  • (unstressed, glottalized, whine-wine merged)
• Rhymes: -?t

Pronoun

what

1. (interrogative) Which thing, event, circumstance, etc.: used interrogatively in asking for the specification of an identity, quantity, quality, etc.
   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     The gym is across from … what? — The gym is across from the lounge. — Across from the lounge. Right. Thanks!

2. That which; those that; the thing that.

3. (relative, nonstandard) That; which; who.
   • 1902, J. M. Barrie, The Admirable Crichton:

     That’s her; that’s the thing what has stole his heart from me.

   • 2017, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2:

     For, it is a name what strikes fear in the heart of anyone what hears it.

4. Whatever.

Translations

Adjective

what (not comparable)

1. Used before a noun phrase at the beginning of a sentence to form an exclamation. Indicates that something is remarkable in quality or degree.

Usage notes

what and such are largely interchangeable, with a few exceptions:

• Nouns modified by such need not appear at the beginning of the sentence: She sings with such passion.
• such requires that the noun phrase it modifies be gradable in some way. Such a disaster! is acceptable because a disaster may be minor or major in degree, but Such a movie! is not (except with the unusual meaning that the movie under discussion has especially "movie-like" qualities).

how is another word used at the beginning of a sentence to form an exclamation (How quickly he ran!), but it modifies different syntactic elements (verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and certain determinatives).

Synonyms

• such

Translations

Adverb

what (not comparable)

1. (usually followed by "with," but also sometimes "would" or "might," especially in finance) In some manner or degree; in part; partly. See also what with

   This leads to an uncertain situation for creditors what would negatively affect the willingness to provide credit.

2. (Singlish) Alternative form of wat (used to contradict an assumption)

Translations

Interjection

what

1. An expression of surprise or disbelief.
   • 1605 William Shakespeare, King Lear

     What, have his daughters brought him to this pass?

   What! That’s amazing.

2. What do you want? An abrupt, usually unfriendly enquiry as to what a person desires.

   What? I'm busy.

3. (Britain, colloquial, dated) Clipping of what do you say?
   • 1991 May 12, "Kidnapped!" Jeeves and Wooster, Series 2, Episode 5:

     Chuffy: WHAT? No, no, no, no, no. My casa is your casa, what?

4. What did you say? I beg your pardon?

Alternative forms

• wha

Synonyms

• (colloquial British interjection): what-what, wot
• (what did you say?): come again, pardon; see also Thesaurus:say again

Translations

Determiner

what

1. Which one(s); which kind of.

   What shirt are you going to wear?

   What time is it?

   What kind of car is that?

2. (relative) Whatever

Translations

Noun

what (countable and uncountable, plural whats)

1. (obsolete, uncountable) Something; thing; stuff.
2. (countable) The identity of a thing, as an answer to a question of what.
   • 2005, Norman K. Denzin, Yvonna S. Lincoln, The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research (page 493)

     The emphasis on the interplay between the hows and whats of interpretive practice is paramount.

3. (countable) Something that is addressed by what, as opposed to a person, addressed by who.
   • 2012, "We Are Both", season 2, episode 2 of Once Upon a Time

     Regina: What are you?

     Rumplestiltskin: What? What? What? My, my, what a rude question! I am not a what.

Derived terms

Anagrams

• HAWT, Thaw, Wath, hawt, thaw, wath

Middle English

Alternative forms

• whad, whote, watte, wath, wad, qhat

Etymology

From Old English hwæt, from Proto-West Germanic *hwat.

Pronoun

what

1. what

Descendants

• English: what
• Scots: what, whate, whit, whut, wha', quhat, quat, fat, faht, phat, fit, fut, fout, at
• Yola: faade, fade, f'ad

References

• “what, pron.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Adverb

what

1. Why.

   • What shulde I tel the answere of the knyght?
2. Used to introduce each of two coordinate phrases or concepts; both...and...

Scots

Etymology 1

From Middle English what, from Old English hwæt, from Proto-West Germanic *hwat. Cognates include English what and Yola faade.

Alternative forms

• whate, whit, whut, wha', quhat, quat, fat, faht, phat, fit, fut, fout, at

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [??t], [??t], [??t], [???]
• (Shetland) IPA^(key): [kw?t]

Pronoun

what

1. (interrogative) what?
2. (relative) that, which

Adverb

what

1. (interrogative) how?
2. (interrogative) why?
3. (relative) as, than, how
4. (exclamatory) how!

Determiner

what

1. (interrogative) what?
2. (relative) what, which
3. (exclamatory) what a lot of! how many!

Etymology 2

From Middle English whetten, from Old English hwettan, from Proto-West Germanic *hwattjan. Cognates include English whet

Alternative forms

• whatt

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [??t]

Verb

what (third-person singular present whats, present participle whatin, past whatt, past participle whatt)

1. (transitive) to whet, hone, sharpen

References

English

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /??n.i.???/
• (Ireland) IPA^(key): /?æ.ni.???/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??.n?.???/, /??.ni.???/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /??.n?.???/
• Hyphenation: an?y?thing

Etymology 1

From Middle English anything, enything, onything, from Late Old English aniþing, from earlier ?ni? þing (literally “any thing”), equivalent to any +? thing.

Pronoun

anything

1. Any object, act, state, event, or fact whatever; a thing of any kind; something or other.

   Synonym: aught
2. (with “as” or “like”) Expressing an indefinite comparison.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

anything (plural anythings)

1. Someone or something of importance.

Related terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English anything, enything, onything, onythynge, from Old English ?ni?e þinga, ?n?i þinga (literally “by any of things”), from ?ni?e, instrumental form of ?ni? (“any”) + þinga, genitive plural of þing (“thing”).

Adverb

anything (not comparable)

1. In any way, any extent or any degree.

   That isn't anything like a car.

   She's not anything like as strong as me.

References

• anything in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• Thingyan