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warum. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
warum, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
warum in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
warum you have here. The definition of the word
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German
Etymology
From Middle High German warumme, war umme, warumbe, war umbe, from Old High German wār umbe. Equivalent to wo (“where”) + um (“in order to, for the purpose of”), thus “for what purpose”. Doublet of worum, but with the older vocalism preserved. Compare Dutch waarom, which has both meanings.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /vaˈʁʊm/ (usual)
- IPA(key): /ˈvaː.ʁʊm/ (never in isolation, but sometimes triggered by the intonation of a sentence)
- Rhymes: -ʊm
Adverb
warum
- why; for what reason
- warum ist die Banane krumm – why is the banana bent
Derived terms
See also
Further reading
- “warum” in Duden online
- “warum” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
Old English
Noun
warum
- dative plural of waru