whoso en · PRON
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Middle English hoe so, hoo so, hoo-so, from Old English hwā swā; equivalent to who + so.
Meanings
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(archaic) whosoever, whatever person
Whoso would be a man would be a nonconformist.
1963, Martin Luther King, quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Self-Reliance", quoted in "Strength to Love":Whoso raises his hand against you must answer to my sword.
1898, Andrew Lang, Arabian Nights:And whoso findeth by the sea Blown dust of bones will hardly say If this were that Aholibah.
1866, Algernon Swinburne, Aholibah, lines 148-150:And whoso kisseth those apples high, Who kisseth once is a king, Who kisseth twice shall never die, Who kisseth thrice--oh, were it I.
1896, Richard Le Gallienne, The Quest of the Golden Girl:Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 23:20-21:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| whomso | Case=Acc | lexicographic | |
| who so | alternative | lexicographic | |
| whoseso | Poss=Yes | lexicographic |