what

1 obsolete :  why

2 :  in what respect :  how what does he care

3 —used to introduce prepositional phrases in parallel construction or a prepositional phrase that expresses cause and usually has more than one object ; used principally before phrases beginning with with what with unemployment increasing what with the war, what with the sweat, what with the gallows, and what with poverty, I am custom-shrunk — William Shakespeare

1a —used as an interrogative expressing inquiry about the identity, nature, or value of a person, object, or matter what minerals do we exportb :  how remarkable or striking for good or bad qualities —used especially in exclamatory utterances and dependent clauses what mountains remember what fun we had what a suggestion what a charming girl

2a (1) :  whatever 1a (2) :  any ornament of what description soeverb :  the … that :  as much or as many … as rescued what survivors they found

1 :  which thing or things What happened?

2 :  which sort of thing or person What is this? What are they, doctors? … “what could be more important than doing unimportant things?” — Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth

3 :  that which Do what you're told. From what he said, I guessed he was new.

4 —used to ask someone to repeat something You did what?

5 :  ¹whatever 1 Take what you need.

1 :  in what way :  how What does it matter?

2 —used before one or more phrases that tell a cause What with the school and sports, she's busy.

1 —used to ask about the identity of a person, object, or matter What books do you read?

2 :  how remarkable or surprising What an idea!

3 :  ²whatever 1 I don't know what else to say.