who

Etymology

From Middle English who, hwo, huo, wha, hwoa, hwa, from Old English hwā (dative hwām, genitive hwæs), from Proto-West Germanic *hwaʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷos, *kʷis. The sound change /hw/ > /h/ (without a corresponding change in spelling) was due to wh-cluster reduction after an irregular change of /ɑː/ to /oː/ in Middle English (instead of the expected /ɔː/) and further to /uː/ regularly in Early Modern English. A similar change occured in two. Compare how, which underwent wh-reduction earlier (in Old English), and thus is spelt with h. Compare Scots wha, West Frisian wa, Dutch wie, Low German we, German wer, Danish hvem, Norwegian Bokmål hvem, Norwegian Nynorsk kven, Icelandic hver.

pron

1. (interrogative) What person or people; which person or people; asks for the identity of someone; used in a direct or indirect question.
   Who is that? (direct question)
   I don't know who it is. (indirect question)
2. (relative) Introduces a relative clause having a human antecedent.
   1. With antecedent as subject.
      That's the man who works at the newsagent. (defining)
      My sister, who works in the accounts department, just got promoted to manager. (non-defining)
      Chorban: I don't really think my scanning disturbs them, but the authorities might disagree. Chorban: I'd like to do it more openly, but it's not really worth getting arrested over. Shepard: I could help you out. I'm not worried about the authorities. Chorban: I don't even know who you are. 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel
      Despite personal schisms and differences in spiritual experience, there is a very coherent theology of Snape shared between the wives. To examine this manifestation of religious fandom, I will first discuss the canon scepticism and anti-Rowling sentiment that helps to contextualise the wider belief in Snape as a character who extends beyond book and film. 3 March 2014, Zoe Alderton, “‘Snapewives’ and ‘Snapeism’: A Fiction-Based Religion within the Harry Potter Fandom”, in Religions, volume 5, number 1, MDPI, →DOI, pages 219–257
   2. (non-formal) With antecedent as object: whom.
      That's the man who I saw earlier. (defining)
      My brother, who you met the other day, is coming to stay for the weekend. (non-defining)
3. (fused relative, archaic or marginal) Whoever, he who, they who.
   Who insults my mother insults me.
   Give it to who deserves it. (marginal usage)

noun

1. A person under discussion; a question of which person.
   A wham-bam caper flick, efficiently directed by Roger Donaldson, that fancifully revisits the mysterious whos and speculative hows of a 1971 London bank heist. March 21, 2008, The New York Times, “Movie Guide and Film Series”, in New York Times

det

1. (interrogative, dialect, African-American Vernacular) whose
   Who phone just rang?