somewhy
English
Etymology
From some + why, in analogy with somewhere, somehow etc.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈsʌmwai/, /ˈsʌmʍai/
Audio (Southern England): (file) Audio (General American): (file)
Adverb
somewhy (not comparable)
- (rare) For some reason
- 1864, Robert Browning, “Mr. Sludge, "The Medium"”, in Wikisource, line 505[1], retrieved 18 January 2012:
- Out of the drift of facts, whereby you learn
What some was, somewhere, somewhen, somewhy?
- 1988, William Morris, 1924, quotee, edited by Thomas P. Riggio, Letters to Women: New Letters[2], Reprint edition, University of Illinois Press, published 2009, →ISBN, page 179:
- I loved them both—but not so very much else in the book—but I read them over twice & thought—somewhy—of Highland Park & our quaint little trips to Los Angles[sic] & elsewhere thereabouts on the street car.
- 2003, Cameron Royce Jess, Bearer of the Chose Seed[3] (Fiction), Inscape Publications, →ISBN, page 15:
- Somewhy I've always had this stupid idea that something or something or somebody awful is waiting here for me.
- 2008, Margaret Feinberg, “Bring Them to Me”, in The Sacred Echo[4], Zondervan, →ISBN, page unk:
- But somehow, somewhy, he did something and that woman knew it. And somehow, somewhy on a whole lot of other days he doesn't do anything we can see ...
- 2011, Issac Marion, Warm Bodies[5] (Fiction), Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 92:
- Or is it actually him? Still holding on somewhere, somehow, somewhy.