whether

Etymology

From Middle English whether, whather, from Old English hweþer, hwæþer, from Proto-West Germanic *hwaþar, from Proto-Germanic *hwaþeraz, comparative form of *hwaz (“who”). Cognate with German weder (“neither”), Swedish var, Icelandic hvor (“each of two, which of two”)

det

1. (obsolete) Which of two.

pron

1. (obsolete) Which of two.
   "Whether is better, the gift or the donor? / Come to me," / Quoth the pine tree, "I am the giver of honor." 1847, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Woodnotes II

conj

1. (obsolete) Introduces a direct question between alternatives (often with correlative or).
2. Indicates doubt between possibilities (usually with correlative or).
   He chose the correct answer, but whether by luck or by skill I don't know.
   The incident immediately revived the debate about goal-line technology, with a final decision on whether it is introduced expected to be taken in Zurich on 5 July. June 19, 2012, Phil McNulty, “England 1–0 Ukraine”, in BBC Sport
   Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine. The machine gun is so much more lethal than the bow and arrow that comparisons are meaningless. One thing that is true, though, is that murder rates have fallen over the centuries, as policing has spread and the routine carrying of weapons has diminished. 2013-07-20, “Old soldiers?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845
3. Without a correlative, introduces a simple indirect question.
   Do you know whether he's coming?
4. Introduces a disjunctive adverbial clause qualifying the main clause (with correlative or).
   He's coming, whether you like it or not.
   Whether or not you're successful, you can be sure you did your best.
   The years have gone by and still we know not whether or no Mallory and Irvine reached the summit. But the will to climb Mount Everest is still alive. 1931 April, Francis Younghusband, “Preface”, in The Epic of Mount Everest, London: Edward Arnold & Co., →OCLC, →OL, page 5