different between what vs wlat
what
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
- (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!
- The gym is across from … what? — The gym is across from the lounge. — Across from the lounge. Right. Thanks!
- 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
- That which; those that; the thing that.
- (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.
- 1902, J. M. Barrie, The Admirable Crichton:
- Whatever.
Translations
Adjective
what (not comparable)
- 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)
- (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.
- (Singlish) Alternative form of wat (used to contradict an assumption)
Translations
Interjection
what
- An expression of surprise or disbelief.
- 1605 William Shakespeare, King Lear
- What, have his daughters brought him to this pass?
- What! That’s amazing.
- 1605 William Shakespeare, King Lear
- What do you want? An abrupt, usually unfriendly enquiry as to what a person desires.
- What? I'm busy.
- (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?
- 1991 May 12, "Kidnapped!" Jeeves and Wooster, Series 2, Episode 5:
- 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
- Which one(s); which kind of.
- What shirt are you going to wear?
- What time is it?
- What kind of car is that?
- (relative) Whatever
Translations
Noun
what (countable and uncountable, plural whats)
- (obsolete, uncountable) Something; thing; stuff.
- (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.
- 2005, Norman K. Denzin, Yvonna S. Lincoln, The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research (page 493)
- (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.
- 2012, "We Are Both", season 2, episode 2 of Once Upon a Time
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
- 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
- Why.
- What shulde I tel the answere of the knyght?
- 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
- (interrogative) what?
- (relative) that, which
Adverb
what
- (interrogative) how?
- (interrogative) why?
- (relative) as, than, how
- (exclamatory) how!
Determiner
what
- (interrogative) what?
- (relative) what, which
- (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)
- (transitive) to whet, hone, sharpen
References
what From the web:
- what what
- what what the fu
- what what meme
- what what the fu meme
wlat
wlat From the web:
- what what
- what what in the robot
- what what what what song
- what what the fu
- what what meme
- what what in the butters
- what what the fu meme
- what what happens live