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wherewithal

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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WOTD – 15 September 2009

Etymology

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From where +‎ withal.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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wherewithal (countable and uncountable, plural wherewithals)

  1. The ability and means required to accomplish some task.
    I would like to help your project, but I do not have the wherewithal.
    • 1688, John Dryden, The Life of St Francis Xavier, book II, translation of original by Dominique Bouhours:
      Justice was sold at the tribunals, and the most enormous crimes escaped from punishment, when the criminals had wherewithal to corrupt their judges.
    • 1954, Edward Eager, Half Magic:
      Big Council meeting! At the bookshop in twenty minutes. Carfare will be refunded. Can we scrape together the wherewithal?
    • 1986, David Leavitt, The Lost Language of Cranes, paperback edition, Penguin, page 67:
      "I just can't imagine," Philip said, "having that kind of self-knowledge, that kind of...wherewithal at fifteen. […] "
    • 2011 December 15, Felicity Cloake, “How to cook the perfect nut roast”, in Guardian‎[1]:
      […] A single slice of this could leave you supine in front of the Queen's speech without even the wherewithal to reach for the remote control.
    • 2019, John O’Connell, Bowie's Bookshelf, →ISBN:
      Although Emma comes to realise she's trapped in a kind of hell, married to a dullard she despises, she lacks the intellectual wherewithal to plot a breakout more sophisticated than consorting with idiots such as Leon and Rodolphe.
    • 2022, Gary Gerstle, chapter 8, in The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order […] , New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, Part II. The Neoliberal Order, 1970–2020:
      In political economic terms, the pandemic worked to intensify a development that the decline in the neoliberal order had already set in motion: namely, a conviction that government was the only institution with the wherewithal to address severe economic and social hardship.

Translations

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Adverb

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wherewithal (not comparable)

  1. (archaic) In what way; how.
  2. (archaic) By means of which.
    Synonyms: whereby, wherewith

Translations

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See also

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(Here-, there-, and where- words):
Pronominal adverbs
about abouts across after again against along among amongst anent[1] around as at beit beside between beyond by ever for fore forth forward forwards from hence inabove inafter inbefore inbelow inelsewhere insoever into inunder mid[2] of on out over so soever somedever somever[3] through throughout to tofore unto up upon ward wards with withal within without
hence — — — henceafter — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — henceforth henceforward henceforwards hencefrom — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
here hereabout hereabouts — hereafter — hereagainst — hereamong hereamongst hereanent — — hereat — — — — hereby — herefor herefore hereforth hereforward herefowards herefrom herehence hereinabove hereinafter hereinbefore hereinbelow hereinelsewhere hereinsoever hereinto hereinunder heremid hereof hereon hereout hereover — heresoever — — herethrough herethroughout hereto heretofore hereunto — hereupon — — herewith herewithal herewithin —
hither — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — hitherto — hitherunto — — hitherward hitherwards — — — —
how — — — — — — — — — — — — — howbeit — — — however — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — howso howsoever howsomedever howsomever — — — — — — — — — — — — —
thence — — — thenceafter — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — thenceforth thenceforward thenceforwards thencefrom — — — — — — — — — — — — thenceout — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
there thereabout thereabouts thereacross thereafter thereagain thereagainst therealong thereamong thereamongst thereanent therearound — thereat — therebeside therebetween therebeyond thereby therever therefor therefore thereforth — — therefrom therehence thereinabove thereinafter thereinbefore thereinbelow — — thereinto thereinunder theremid thereof thereon thereout thereover — theresoever — — therethrough therethroughout thereto theretofore thereunto thereup thereupon — — therewith therewithal therewithin therewithout
thither — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — thitherinsoever — — — — — — — — — — — — — thitherto — — — — thitherward thitherwards — — — —
what — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — whatever — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — whatso whatsoever whatsomedever whatsomever — — — — — — — — — — — — —
when whenabout whenabouts — — — — — — — — — whenas — — — — — — whenever — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — whenso whensoever — whensomever — — − — − — — − − — — — —
whence — — — whenceafter — — — — — — — — — — — — — — whencever — — whenceforth whenceforward — whencefrom — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — whenceward whencewards — — — —
where whereabout whereabouts — whereafter — whereagainst wherealong whereamong whereamongst whereanent wherearound whereas whereat — wherebeside wherebetween wherebeyond whereby wherever wherefor wherefore whereforth — — wherefrom wherehence whereinabove whereinafter whereinbefore whereinbelow — whereinsoever whereinto whereinunder wheremid whereof whereon whereout whereover whereso wheresoever — wheresomever wherethrough wherethroughout whereto wheretofore whereunto whereup whereupon — — wherewith wherewithal wherewithin wherewithout
whither — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — whitherever — — — — — — — — — — — — whitherinsoever — — — — — — — whitherso — — — — — whitherto whithertofore — — — whitherward whitherwards — — — —
why — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — whyever whyfor — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — whyso whysoever — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
  1. ^ Scottish
  2. ^ from Middle English mid
  3. ^ old dialectal form
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