who — used to ask about the identity of a person
Part of speech: PRONOUN
Definition: used to ask about the identity of a person
Pronunciation (IPA): /huː/
Example Sentences
- Who ate my sandwich? There's a note saying 'Thanks for lunch!'
- Who wants to be a millionaire? Everyone except my cat.
- The student who studies hard will succeed.
who
PRONOUN[/huː/]
used to ask about the identity of a person
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Who derives from Old English 'hwā', an ancient interrogative pronoun with roots in Proto-Germanic. It belongs to the family of wh- question words including 'what', 'when', and 'where', all descending from common Germanic ancestry.
Breakdown
Old English hwā (who) → Middle English who → Modern English who. The wh- represents the voiceless velar fricative sound from Proto-Germanic, while the root itself is an interrogative pronoun asking about persons.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“Who ate my sandwich? There's a note saying 'Thanks for lunch!'”
“Who wants to be a millionaire? Everyone except my cat.”
“The student who studies hard will succeed.”
“Who is going to the party tonight?”
📚Related Words
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