From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Which \Which\, pron. [OE. which, whilk, AS. hwilc, hwylc, hwelc,
from the root of hw[=a] who + l[imac]c body; hence properly,
of what sort or kind; akin to OS. hwilik which, OFries.
hwelik, D. welk, G. welch, OHG. wel[imac]h, hwel[imac]h,
Icel. hv[imac]l[imac]kr, Dan. & Sw. hvilken, Goth. hwileiks,
hw?leiks; cf. L. qualis. ????. See {Who}, and {Like}, a., and
cf. {Such}.]
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1. Of what sort or kind; what; what a; who. [Obs.]
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And which they weren and of what degree. --Chaucer.
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2. A interrogative pronoun, used both substantively and
adjectively, and in direct and indirect questions, to ask
for, or refer to, an individual person or thing among
several of a class; as, which man is it? which woman was
it? which is the house? he asked which route he should
take; which is best, to live or to die? See the Note under
{What}, pron., 1.
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Which of you convinceth me of sin? --John viii.
46.
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3. A relative pronoun, used esp. in referring to an
antecedent noun or clause, but sometimes with reference to
what is specified or implied in a sentence, or to a
following noun or clause (generally involving a reference,
however, to something which has preceded). It is used in
all numbers and genders, and was formerly used of persons.
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And when thou fail'st -- as God forbid the hour!
Must Edward fall, which peril heaven forfend!
--Shak.
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God . . . rested on the seventh day from all his
work which he had made. --Gen. ii. 2.
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Our Father, which art in heaven. --Matt. vi. 9.
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The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. --1
Cor. iii. 17.
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4. A compound relative or indefinite pronoun, standing for
any one which, whichever, that which, those which, the . .
. which, and the like; as, take which you will.
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Note: The which was formerly often used for which. The
expressions which that, which as, were also sometimes
used by way of emphasis.
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Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the
which ye are called? --James ii. 7.
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Note: Which, referring to a series of preceding sentences, or
members of a sentence, may have all joined to it
adjectively. "All which, as a method of a proclamation,
is very convenient." --Carlyle.
[1913 Webster] Whichever
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