(a) As indef. pron. referring to a person, used as direct obj. or obj. of a prep.: someone; (b) in adv. phrase: a litel ~, for a little while [cp. litel what phr. 2.(b)].

As interrog. pron. in direct questions—as obj. of prep.: (a) referring to a person or persons: whom?; (b) referring to an abstraction: what?; for (to) ~, to what end?, for what purpose?, why?; also in truncated construction [quot. a1225(?OE)]; on ~, in what manner?, how?; on account of what?; to ~ shal ich iworthen, what shall become of me?

As rel. pron. introducing adj. clauses;—as obj. of prep.: (a) used for a human antecedent (sg. or pl.): whom; also with antecedent in gen. [1st quot.]; (b) used for an inanimate antecedent (sg. or pl.): which; for ~, for which; also, in loose relationship to previous sentence element or predication: on account of which, on which account.

As an independent relative referring to a person or persons, introducing noun clauses: (a) functioning as direct obj. of a verb or verb phrase in main clause, with rel. pron. usu. as direct obj. in its own clause: the one whom, him or her whom, those whom; also as obj. of prep. in its own clause [quot. c1275]; also, as indirect obj. in its own clause: to whom, for whom; also, with indefinite or generalizing force: anyone whom; whomever; (b) functioning as an appositive to a pron. used as subj. in main clause, with rel. pron. as obj. of prep. in its own clause and used with indefinite or generalizing force: the one whom, whomever.

As an independent relative referring to an abstraction, a place, etc. and used as obj. of prep., introducing noun clauses: (a) functioning as subj. or pred. nom. in main clause: for ~, that for which; thurgh ~, by what means, how; (b) functioning as direct obj. in main clause: for (to) ~, to what end, for what purpose, why; also in truncated construction [quot. c1275(?a1200), 2nd]; also, where [quot. a1225(?c1175)]; what [quot. c1275(?a1200), last]; mid ~, that with which; of ~, whence; (c) used adverbially: to ~, to the place whence.

In conjunctive prep. phrase with that particle introducing adv. clauses: for ~ that, so long as, if, provided that; since, because; also, at the time that, when [construed variously elsewhere in MED, e.g., for-whan pronominal adv. & conj. 3. & that particle 3b.(a), but cp. than pron.(1) 3.].