why
exclamation/waɪ/
/waɪ/
(old-fashioned or North American English)- used to express a feeling of being surprised, impatient, etc.
- Why Jane, it's you!
- Why, it's easy—a child could do it!
Word OriginOld English hwī, hwȳ ‘by what cause’, instrumental case of hwæt ‘what’, of Germanic origin.Definitions on the go
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