Word of the Day

: December 14, 2013

wherewithal

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noun WAIR-wih-thawl

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What It Means

: means, resources; specifically : money

wherewithal in Context

If I had the wherewithal, I’d buy that empty lot next door and put in a garden.

"It's unlikely the Cubs would have the wherewithal to make a winning bid, especially if the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers go all-in for Tanaka." - From an article by Patrick Mooney in the Comcast Sportsnet (Chicago), November 11, 2013

Did You Know?

"Wherewithal" has been with us in one form or another since the 16th century. It comes from "where" and "withal" (meaning "with"), and it has been used as a conjunction meaning "with or by means of which" and as a pronoun meaning "that with or by which." These days, however, it is almost always used as a noun referring to the means or resources one has at one's disposal-especially financial resources.

Test Your Memory

What word completes this sentence from a former Word of the Day piece: "Julia was so startled that she dropped the bowl, and it shattered into china __________"? The answer is …