What

• POS: Interjection, Definite Article, Pronoun, Adverb

CIDE DICTIONARY

What, pron., a., & adv. [AS. hwæt, neuter of hwā who; akin to OS. hwat what, OFries. hwet, D. & LG. wat, G. was, OHG. waz, hwaz, Icel. hvat, Sw. & Dan. hvad, Goth. hwa. Who.].

•  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?  [1913 Webster]

  "What see'st thou in the ground?"  [1913 Webster]

  "What is man, that thou art mindful of him?"  [1913 Webster]

  "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!"  [1913 Webster]
•  As an exclamatory word: -- (a) Used absolutely or independently; -- often with a question following.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]

  " What in this use has a or an between itself and its noun if the qualitative or quantitative importance of the object is emphasized."  [1913 Webster]

  "What, could ye not watch with me one hour?"  [1913 Webster]

  "What a piece of work is man!"  [1913 Webster]

  "O what a riddle of absurdity!"  [1913 Webster]

  "What partial judges are our love and hate!"  [1913 Webster]
•  As a relative pronoun  [1913 Webster]

  "With joy beyond what victory bestows."  [1913 Webster]

  "I'm thinking Captain Lawton will count the noses of what are left before they see their whaleboats."  [1913 Webster]

  "What followed was in perfect harmony with this beginning."  [1913 Webster]

  "I know well . . . how little you will be disposed to criticise what comes to you from me."  [1913 Webster]

  "See what natures accompany what colors."  [1913 Webster]

  "To restrain what power either the devil or any earthly enemy hath to work us woe."  [1913 Webster]

  "We know what master laid thy keel,
  What workmen wrought thy ribs of steel."  [1913 Webster]
•  Whatever; whatsoever; what thing soever; -- used indefinitely.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]

  "Whether it were the shortness of his foresight, the strength of his will, . . . or what it was."  [1913 Webster]
•  Used adverbially, in part; partly; somewhat; -- with a following preposition, especially, with, and commonly with repetition.  [1913 Webster]

  "What for lust [pleasure] and what for lore."  [1913 Webster]

  "Thus, what with the war, what with the sweat, what with the gallows, and what with poverty, I am custom shrunk."  [1913 Webster]

  "The year before he had so used the matter that what by force, what by policy, he had taken from the Christians above thirty small castles."  [1913 Webster]

  "What time the morn mysterious visions brings."  [1913 Webster]

What, n. 

 Something; thing; stuff.  [1913 Webster]
"And gave him for to feed,
Such homely what as serves the simple "  [1913 Webster]

What, interrog. adv. 

 Why? For what purpose? On what account?  [1913 Webster]
"What should I tell the answer of the knight."  [1913 Webster]
"But what do I stand reckoning upon advantages and gains lost by the misrule and turbulency of the prelates? What do I pick up so thriftily their scatterings and diminishings of the meaner subject?"  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

What, adj., pron., & adv.
--interrog.adj.
1 asking for a choice from an indefinite number or for a statement of amount, number, or kind (what books have you read?; what news have you?).
2 colloq. = WHICH interrog.adj. (what book have you chosen?).
--adj. (usu. in exclam.) how great or remarkable (what luck!).
--rel.adj. the or any ... that (will give you what help I can).
--pron. (corresp. to the functions of the adj.)
1 what thing or things? (what is your name?; I don't know what you mean).
2 (asking for a remark to be repeated) = what did you say? 3 asking for confirmation or agreement of something not completely understood (you did what?; what, you really mean it?).
4 how much (what you must have suffered!).
5 (as rel.pron.) that or those which; a or the or any thing which (what followed was worse; tell me what you think).
--adv. to what extent (what does it matter?).

Idiom

what about what is the news or position or your opinion of (what about me?; what about a game of tennis?). what-d'you-call-it (or what's-its-name) a substitute for a name not recalled. what ever what at all or in any way (what ever do you mean?) (see also WHATEVER). what for colloq.
1 for what reason? 2 a severe reprimand (esp. give a person what for). what have you colloq. (prec. by or) anything else similar.
what if?
1 what would result etc. if.
2 what would it matter if. what is more and as an additional point; moreover. what next? colloq. what more absurd, shocking, or surprising thing is possible? what not (prec. by and) other similar things. what of? what is the news concerning? what of it? why should that be considered significant? what's-his (or -its) -name = what-d'you-call-it. what's what colloq. what is useful or important etc. what with colloq. because of (usu. several things).

Etymology

OE hw{aelig}t f. Gmc

ROGET THESAURUS

What

Resentment

N resentment, displeasure, animosity, anger, wrath, indignation, exasperation, bitter resentment, wrathful indignation, pique, umbrage, huff, miff, soreness, dudgeon, acerbity, virulence, bitterness, acrimony, asperity, spleen, gall, heart-burning, heart-swelling, rankling, ill humor, bad humor, ill temper, bad temper, irascibility, ill blood, revenge, excitement, irritation, warmth, bile, choler, ire, fume, pucker, dander, ferment, ebullition, towering passion, acharnement, angry mood, taking, pet, tiff, passion, fit, tantrums, burst, explosion, paroxysm, storm, rage, fury, desperation, violence, fire and fury, vials of wrath, gnashing of teeth, hot blood, high words, scowl, sulks, affront, provocation, offense, indignity, grudge, crow to pluck, bone to pick, sore subject, casus belli, ill turn, outrage, Furies, Eumenides, buffet, slap in the face, box on the ear, rap on the knuckles, angry, wrath, irate, ireful, wrathful, cross, Achillean, sulky, bitter, virulent, acrimonious &c (discourteous), violent, warm, burning, boiling, boiling over, fuming, raging, foaming, foaming at the mouth, convulsed with rage, offended, waxy, acharne, wrought, worked up, indignant, hurt, sore, set against, fierce, wild, rageful, furious, mad with rage, fiery, infuriate, rabid, savage, relentless, flushed with anger, flushed with rage, in a huff, in a stew, in a fume, in a pucker, in a passion, in a rage, in a fury, in a taking, in a way, on one's high ropes, up in arms, in high dudgeon, angrily, in the height of passion, in the heat of passion, in the heat of the moment, Int, tantaene animis coelestibus irae!, marry come up!, zounds!, 'sdeath!, one's blood being up, one's back being up, one's monkey being up, fervens difficili bile jecur, the gorge rising, eyes flashing fire, the blood rising, the blood boiling, haeret lateri lethalis arundo, beware the fury of a patient man, furor arma ministrat, ira furor brevis est, quem Jupiter vult perdere dementat prius, What, drunk with choler?.