Where does the use of "why" as an interjection come from?
Mar 18, 2011 · "why" can be compared to an old Latin form qui, an ablative form, meaning how. Today "why" is used as a question word to ask the reason or purpose of something.
Why is "pineapple" in English but "ananas" in all other languages?
Nov 7, 2013 · The question is: why did the English adapt the name pineapple from Spanish (which originally meant pinecone in English) while most European countries eventually …
orthography - Why are names that begin with "Mc" first in order …
Why is it that in lists of people’s names, surnames beginning with Mc are listed before surnames beginning with Ma? For example, if a book had a bibliography listing its references, we would …
Why do eleven and twelve get unique words and not end in "-teen"?
Why don't these words fit the pattern of thirteen through nineteen? [Answer to 1] A remarkably thorough answer to (1) appears at Why do eleven and twelve get unique words and not end in …
Contextual difference between "That is why" vs "Which is why"?
Thus we say: You never know, which is why... but You never know. That is why... And goes on to explain: There is a subtle but important difference between the use of that and which in a …
Why "meth-", "eth-", "prop-", when there is "uni-","di-","tri-"?
In chemistry, the homologous series for hydrocarbons uses the following prefixes: Meth- Eth- Prop- But- Pent- Hex- Hept- Oct- Why are these prefixes used, instead of just usin...
Why do North Americans pronounce "caramel" as "carmel"?
Feb 8, 2017 · But in my experience, North Americans (Canadians too) don't pronounce the middle "a". They pronounce it exactly like the girl's name Carmel. From my experience, all Americans …
Why was "Spook" a slur used to refer to African Americans?
Jul 29, 2023 · I understand that the word spook is a racial slur that rose in usage during WWII; I also know Germans called black gunners Spookwaffe. What I don't understand is why. Spook …
"Why it is" vs "Why is it" - English Language & Usage Stack …
Nov 7, 2013 · 8 1) Please tell me why is it like that. [grammatically incorrect unless the punctuation is changed. Please tell me: Why is it like that? The question: "Why is [etc.]" is a …
What is the purpose of using the word "why" in "why, thank you"?
I sometimes have heard somebody replying with Why, thank you. instead of Thank you. What is the meaning of the first phrase? What is the difference between the two phrases?