(prep.) Out of the neighborhood of; lessening or losing proximity to; leaving behind; by reason of; out of; by aid of; -- used whenever departure, setting out, commencement of action, being, state, occurrence, etc., or procedure, emanation, absence, separation, etc., are to be expressed. It is construed with, and indicates, the point of space or time at which the action, state, etc., are regarded as setting out or beginning; also, less frequently, the source, the cause, the occasion, out of which anything proceeds; -- the aritithesis and correlative of to; as, it, is one hundred miles from Boston to Springfield; he took his sword from his side; light proceeds from the sun; separate the coarse wool from the fine; men have all sprung from Adam, and often go from good to bad, and from bad to worse; the merit of an action depends on the principle from which it proceeds; men judge of facts from personal knowledge, or from testimony.
Example Sentences:
What
Definition:
(pron., a., & adv.) As an interrogative pronoun, used in asking questions regarding either persons or things; as, what is this? what did you say? what poem is this? what child is lost?
(pron., a., & adv.) As an exclamatory word: -- (a) Used absolutely or independently; -- often with a question following.
(pron., a., & adv.) Used adjectively, meaning how remarkable, or how great; as, what folly! what eloquence! what courage!
(pron., a., & adv.) Sometimes prefixed to adjectives in an adverbial sense, as nearly equivalent to how; as, what happy boys!
(pron., a., & adv.) As a relative pronoun
(pron., a., & adv.) Used substantively with the antecedent suppressed, equivalent to that which, or those [persons] who, or those [things] which; -- called a compound relative.
(pron., a., & adv.) Used adjectively, equivalent to the . . . which; the sort or kind of . . . which; rarely, the . . . on, or at, which.
(pron., a., & adv.) Used adverbially in a sense corresponding to the adjectival use; as, he picked what good fruit he saw.
(pron., a., & adv.) Whatever; whatsoever; what thing soever; -- used indefinitely.
(pron., a., & adv.) Used adverbially, in part; partly; somewhat; -- with a following preposition, especially, with, and commonly with repetition.
(n.) Something; thing; stuff.
(interrog. adv.) Why? For what purpose? On what account?