whoso

W4H4O1S1O1

pronoun

whosoever, whatever person

UncommonScrabble 11

Meanings

pronounwhoso (objective whomso, possessive whoseso)

objective whomso · possessive whoseso · alternative who so

  1. archaicwhosoever, whatever person

    Whoso would be a man would be a nonconformist.

    1963, Martin Luther King, quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Self-Reliance", quoted in "Strength to Love"
    4 more examples

    Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 23:20-21

    And whoso findeth by the sea Blown dust of bones will hardly say If this were that Aholibah.

    1866, Algernon Swinburne, Aholibah, lines 148-150

    Whoso raises his hand against you must answer to my sword.

    1898, Andrew Lang, Arabian Nights

    And whoso kisseth those apples high, Who kisseth once is a king, Who kisseth twice shall never die, Who kisseth thrice--oh, were it I.

    1896, Richard Le Gallienne, The Quest of the Golden Girl

Origin

  1. Old Englishhwā swā
  2. Middle Englishhoe so
  3. Englishwhoso

From Middle English hoe so, hoo so, hoo-so, from Old English hwā swā; equivalent to who + so.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

whoso. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whoso

MLA

“whoso.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whoso. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “whoso,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whoso.

Source: whoso on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.