hwelc

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Old English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *hwilīkaz ~ *hwalīkaz (“what kind of”), a compound of *hwaz and *-līkaz.

Pronunciation

Determiner

hwelċ

  1. which
    Hwelċes blēos is þīn hemeþe?
    What color is your shirt?
    Hwelċe bōc on þisse sċielfan hæfst þū oftost ġerǣden?
    Which book on this shelf have you read most often?
    • The Dialogues of Solomon and Saturn
      Hwelċ mann āþōhte ǣrest mid sylh tō erienne?
      Which person first thought of plowing the ground with a plow?
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Greater Litany"
      ...hwilċ ēower is þe hæfð sumne frēond, and gǣð him tō on middere nihte, and cwyð": et reliqua.
      ...which of you who hath a friend, and goeth to him at midnight, and saith," etc.
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "Of the Catholic Faith"
      On hwilcum dǣle hæfð sē man Godes anlīcnysse on him?
      In which part has man the likeness of God in him?
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost"
      Hwilċ ēower hæfð hund-tēontiġ sċēapa:" et reliqua.
      Which of you hath an hundred sheep," etc.
      Hwilċ ēower hæfð hund-tēontiġ sċēapa, and ġif hē forlȳsð ān ðǣra sċēapa, ðonne forlǣt hē ðā nigon and hund-nigontiġ on wēstene, and gǣð sēċende þæt ān ðe him lōsode?
      Which of you hath an hundred sheep, and if he lose one of the sheep, then leaveth he the ninety and nine in the waste, and goeth seeking the one that he lost?
  2. what
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost"
      Sē Hǣlend ġeswutelode for hwilcum intingan ðēos tōstenċednys þǣre byriġ ġelumpe, ðāðā hē cwæð,...
      Jesus showed for what cause this dispersion of the city happened, when he said,...
      '...þæt hēo on ðām forðsīðe oncnāwe mid hwilcum fēondum hēo ymbset bið,...
      ...that on its departure it may know by what foes it is beset,...
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Passion of the Blessed Martyr Lawrence"
      For hwilcum ðingum nēadað sē dēofol ēow þæt ġē cristene men tō his biġgenġum ðrēatniað?
      For what reason does the devil compel you to urge christian men to his worship?
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Passion of St. Bartholomew the Apostle"
      And ġif ðū tō fulluhte ġebīhst, ic dō þæt þū ðone dēofol ġesīhst, and ġehȳrst mid hwilcum cræfte hē is ġeðūht þæt hē untrumnysse ġehǣle.
      And if thou consentest to be baptized, I will cause thee to see the devil, and to hear by what craft he appears to heal sickness.
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Navitivity of St. Andrew the Apostle"
      Mīne ġebrōðra, hwilċere tale maġe wē brūcan on his dōme,...
      My brothers, what excuse can we use at his doom,...
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Second Sunday in the Lord's Advent"
      Understandað nū hwilċ sȳ on weġes ġeswince tō ātēoriġenne, and ðēah nelle þone weġ ġeendiġan.
      Understand now what it is to faint through the toil of the way, and yet not to desire the way to end.
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Assumption of the Saint John The Apostle"
      ...cȳðe hū miċel wuldor hī forluron, and hwilċ wīte hī ġeearnodon.
      ...declare how great glory they have lost, and what punishment they have earned.
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The First Sunday After Easter"
      Hwilċ wundor is þæt sē Hǣlend mid ēċum līchaman cōme inn, belōcenum durum, sēðe mid dēadlīcum līchaman wearð ācenned of beclȳsedum innoðe þæs mǣdenes?
      What wonder is it, that Jesus with an everlasting body came in, the doors being closed, who with a mortal body was born of the closed womb of the virgin?
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Passion of the Blessed Stephen Protomartyr"
      Bēoð ġemyndiġe hwæt sēo sylfe Sōðfæstnys on ðām hālgan godspelle behēt, and hwilċ wedd ūs ġesealde.
      Be mindful what Truth itself has promised in the holy gospel, and what pledge it has given us.
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Nativity of the Innocents"
      ...and ġeornlīċe hī befrān tō hwilċes tīman sē stēorra him ǣrst ætēowode,
      ...and diligently questioned them at what time the star had first appeared to them,...
      ...and ġeornlīċe hī befrān, on hwilcne tīman hī ǣrest þone stēorran ġesāwon...
      ...and diligently questioned them at what time they first saw the star...
      ...and ēac ġeswutelode on hwilcum sūslum hē mōste æfter forðsīðe ēċelice cwylmian.
      ...and also manifested in what torments he must after death eternally suffer.
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Third Sunday After the Lord's Epiphany"
      Hē ðā befrān on hwilċere tīde hē ġewyrpte.
      He then inquired at what hour he recovered.
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost"
      Cherubim is ġecweden ġefyllednys inġehȳdes oððe ġewittes, and ðēah hwilċ enġel is on Godes andwerdnysse ðe ealle ðing nyte?
      Cherubim is interpreted fullness of knowledge or understanding, and yet what angel is there in God's presence who knows not all things?
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "For the Holy Day of Pentecost"
      Ǣlċes mannes weorc cȳðað hwilċ gāst hine wīssað.
      Every man's works show what spirit directs him.
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Greater Litany"
      "Hwilċ fæder wile syllan his ċilde stān, ġif hit hine hlāfes bitt? oþþe næddran, ġif hit fisċes bitt? oððe þone wyrm ðrowend, ġif hit ǣġes bitt?"
      "What father will give his child a stone, if he ask for bread? or a serpent, if he ask for a fish? or a scorpion, if he ask for an egg?"
    • c. 995, Ælfric, Extracts on Grammar in English
      Sume naman sind þēodisċe. Þā ġetācniaþ hwelcre þēode sum mann sīe: Graecus ("Crēcisċ"), Anglus ("Englisċ").
      Some nouns are gentile. They tell you what nation someone belongs to: Graecus ("Greek person"), Anglus ("English person").
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Second Sunday after Easter"
      Nāst ðū hwā bið hȳra, hwā hyrde, ǣrðām ðe sē wulf cume; ac sē wulf ġeswutelað mid hwilcum mōde hē gȳmde þǣra scēapa.
      Thou knowest not who is a hireling, who a shepherd, before the wolf comes; but the wolf makes manifest in what manner he watches the sheep.
    • c. 995, Ælfric, Extracts on Grammar in English
      Sum þāra dǣla hātte analogiā on Crēcisċ, þæt is on Lǣden similium rērum comparātiō and on Englisċ "ġelīcra þinga wiþmetennes." Ġif þū nāst sumne Lǣdennaman hwelċes cynnes hē sīe on þǣm cræfte, þonne sċēawa þū be sumum ōðrum þe him ġelīċ sīe, and þū wāst þonne.
      One part is called analogia in Greek, that is in Latin similium rerum comparatio and in English "comparison of similar things." If you don't know what gender a certain word is in Latin, think of another word like it, and then you'll know.
  3. what kind of, what sort of
    Hwelċe bēċ rǣtst þū?
    What kind of books do you read?
    Hwelċ mann wolde swelċes dōn?
    What kind of person would do such a thing?
    • The Legend of St. Andrew
      Ġēa hlāford, and hwæt ġif iċ swelcne mann ġemēte? Hwelċe mēde sċeal iċ him behātan?
      Yes lord, and what if I find someone like that? What kind of reward should I promise them?
    • c. 994, Ælfric, On the Seasons of the Year
      Menn magon cēpan be þæs mōnan blēo hwelċ weder tōweard biþ.
      People can observe from the color of the moon what kind of weather is coming.
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Passion of St. Bartholomew the Apostle"
      ...Efne nū ġē habbað ġehȳred hwilċ ðēs god is ðe ġē wēndon þæt ēow ġehǣlde;...
      ...Lo, now ye have heard what sort of god this is that ye thought healed you;...
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Greater Litany"
      Ac hwā is ūre Fæder? Sē Ælmihtiġa God. And hwilċera manna Fæder is hē? Swutelīċe hit is ġesǣd, yfelra manna. And hwilċ is se Fæder?
      But who is our Father? The Almighty God. And of what men is he the Father? It is manifestly said, of evil men. And of what kind is the Father?
  4. some, any
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "Dedication of the Church of St. Michael The Archangel"
      Ġif hwilċ sibling þe bið swā dēorwurðe swā ðīn ēage,...
      If any relation be as dear to thee as thine eye,...
    • 11th century, "Æcerbot Charm"
      Hēr is sēo bōt hū þū meaht þīne æcras bētan ġif hīe nyllaþ wel weaxan oþþe þǣr hwelċ unġedēfe þing on ġedōn biþ on drȳ oþþe on lyblāce.
      Here is the remedy for how you can improve your fields if they won't grow well or something harmful has been done to them by a wizard or through witchcraft.

Pronoun

hwelċ

  1. which one
    Þȳ hwelċ ēower dyde þæt þing?
    So which one of you did the thing?
    Hēr sind þrēo hors. Hwelċ is þīn?
    There are three horses here. Which one is yours?
    • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Matthew 19:16-19
      And þā ġenēalǣhte him ān mann tō and cwæþ, "Lā gōda lārēow! Hwæt gōdes dō iċ þæt iċ ēċe līf hæbbe?" Þā cwæþ hē, "Hwæt āscast þū mē be gōde? Ān God is gōd. Sōðlīċe ġif þū wilt on līf becuman, heald þā bebodu." Þā cwæþ hē, "Hwelcu?" Þā cwæþ sē Hǣlend, "Ne dō þū mansliht, ne dō þū unryhthǣmed, ne stel þū, ne sæġe þū lēase ġewitnesse, weorða þīnne fæder and mōdor, and lufa þīnne nīehstan swā swā þē selfne."
      Then someone came up to him and said, "Teacher! What good do I have to do to have eternal life?" Jesus said, "Why are you asking me about 'good'? Only God is good. If you want to enter life, follow the commandments." Then he asked, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "Don't commit murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't give false testimony, respect your parents, and love your neighbor like you love yourself."
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Invention of the Holy Cross"
      Hēo becōm tō þǣre stōwe and āfand þrēo rōde. Ān wæs þæs Hǣlendes, and þā ōðra þāra þēofa. Þā nysse hēo ġewiss hwelcu wǣre Cristes rōd.
      She came to the place and discovered three crosses. One was Jesus', and the others belonged to the thieves. But she didn't know for sure which cross was Christ's.
  2. anyone, anything; someone, something
  3. who
    • The Dialogues of Solomon and Saturn
      Saga mē, hwylċ man ǣrest wǣre wið hund sprecende?
      Tell me, who was the first man that spake with a dog?
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Epiphany of the Lord"
      ...and sē Rihtwīsa God nǣnne mann ne nēadað tō syngiġenne, ac he wāt swāðēah on ǣr hwilċe þurh āgenne willan syngian willað.
      ...and the Righteous God compels no man to sin, but he knows, nevertheless, beforehand who will sin through their own will.
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Nativity of St. Andrew the Apostle"
      "Zachēus wæs sum rīċe mann, and cepte þæs Hǣlendes fær, and wolde ġesēon hwilċ hē wǣre; ac hē ne mihte for ðǣre menigu ðe him mid fērde, forðan ðe hē wæs sċort on wæstme.
      "Zacchæus was a rich man, and had observed the Saviour's course, and would see who he was; but he could not for the many that went with him, because he was short of stature.

Declension

Declension of hwelċ — Strong only
Singular Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative hwelċ hwelċ hwelċ
Accusative hwelcne hwelċe hwelċ
Genitive hwelċes hwelcre hwelċes
Dative hwelċum hwelcre hwelċum
Instrumental hwelċe hwelcre hwelċe
Plural Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative hwelċe hwelċa, hwelċe hwelċ
Accusative hwelċe hwelċa, hwelċe hwelċ
Genitive hwelcra hwelcra hwelcra
Dative hwelċum hwelċum hwelċum
Instrumental hwelċum hwelċum hwelċum

Interjection

hwelċ

  1. what (used in exclamations)
    • c. 995, Ælfric, Extracts on Grammar in English
      Ō is tōclipiendlīċ bīword: Ō magister, docē mē! ("Ēalā þū lārēow, tǣċ mē!"). Hē is ēac wundriendlīċ: Ō quālis faciēs! ("Ēalā hwelcu ansīen!")
      O is a vocative adverb: O magister, doce me! ("Oh teacher, teach me!") It also expresses admiration: O qualis facies! ("Oh, what a face!").

Derived terms

Descendants

  • English: which
  • Scots: whilk
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia