What is "why"

Why \Why\, adv. [OE. whi, why, AS. hw[=i], hw?, instrumental case of hw[=a], hw[ae]t; akin to Icel. hv[=i] why, Dan. & Sw. hvi; cf. Goth. hw?. ?. See Who.]

1. For what cause, reason, or purpose; on what account; wherefore; -- used interrogatively. See the Note under What, pron., 1.

   Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
   --Ezek. xxxiii. 11.

2. For which; on account of which; -- used relatively.

   No ground of enmity between us known Why he should mean me ill or seek to harm.
   --Milton.

   Turn the discourse; I have a reason why I would not have you speak so tenderly.
   --Dryden.

3. The reason or cause for which; that on account of which; on what account; as, I know not why he left town so suddenly; -- used as a compound relative.

   Note: Why is sometimes used as an interjection or an expletive in expression of surprise or content at a turn of affairs; used also in calling. ``Why, Jessica!''
   --Shak.

   If her chill heart I can not move, Why, I'll enjoy the very love.
   --Cowley. [1913 Webster] Sometimes, also, it is used as a noun.

   The how and the why and the where.
   --Goldsmith.

   For why, because; why. See Forwhy. [Obs. or Colloq.]

Why \Why\, n. A young heifer. [Prov. Eng.]
--Grose.

Old English hwi, instrumental case (indicating for what purpose or by what means) of hwæt (see what), from Proto-Germanic adverb *hwi (cognates: Old Saxon hwi, Old Norse hvi), from PIE *kwi- (source of Greek pei "where"), locative of *kwo- "who" (see who). As an interjection of surprise or emphasis, recorded from 1510s. As a noun, "cause, reason" from c.1300.

Etymology 1 adv. 1 For what cause, reason, or purpose. 2 # (non-gloss definition Introducing a complete question. English) 3 # (non-gloss definition Introducing a verb phrase (bare infinitive clause). English) 4 # (non-gloss definition Introducing a noun or other phrase. English) interj. An exclamation used to express indignation, mild surprise, or impatience. "Well, I'll tell you...". n. reason Etymology 2

n. (context UK dialect English) A young heifer.

1. n. the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase `the whys and wherefores' [syn: wherefore]

2. adv. question word; what is the reason (`how come' is a nonstandard variant); "why are you here?"; "how come he got an ice cream cone but I didn't?" [syn: how come]

Why may refer to:

• Causality, a consequential relationship between two events
• Reason (argument), a premise in support of an argument, for what reason or purpose
• Why?, one of the Five Ws used in journalism

"Why" is the first solo single by the Scottish singer Annie Lennox, released in 1992. It was taken from her debut solo album Diva and reached no.5 in the United Kingdom. In the US "Why" peaked at no. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no.6 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

"Why" is a song performed by Carly Simon, recorded for the film Soup for One in 1982. The movie flopped but the soundtrack was a success. The song is one in a string of many film-inspired singles by Simon.

The song, like the rest of the soundtrack, was produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers of Chic. This was a move away from the usual guitar-based hits of Simon's past. The bittersweet reggae-tinged ballad became a hit in Europe, hitting #10 in the UK, and staying on the British charts for 18 weeks. The song stalled at #74 on the Billboard Hot 100, and remained on the chart for 6 weeks.

The song is centered on the phrase "Why does your love hurt so much?", and Simon sings perhaps one of her most heartfelt and yearning vocals to date on the track. However, despite this sad subject matter, the song also became well known for its catchy refrain "La di-da, di-da".

A promotional video was made for the single that is currently viewable on Simon's YouTube page. The video shows Simon walking through a downtown street before stopping by an outdoor café where she mingles with residents who look on with keen interest. At the midpoint of the song, the residents watching Simon join in the song as she leads them in singing the memorable "la di-da, di-da" refrain.

In 1989, the song re-surfaced on the Ibiza "Hacienda" scene, and cemented its status as a Balearic classic. Known for its bass-line and funky drums, it was then that the growing hip-hop scene in the USA began to pick it up, seven years after its original release. The song re-entered the UK charts the same year, reaching #56.

"Why" is a single by British DJ and singer, Sonique. Released on CD in Germany on 30 May 2005, the track peaked at number 90.

"Why" is the third single released by American singer Lionel Richie from his studio album Coming Home (2006).

It was considered as the second single, but "What You Are" (the label's initial choice) became the official selection. In the UK, "Why" was released in December 2006 as a single and peaked at #143 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Why" is a song written by Rodney Clawson, Vicky McGehee and Big & Rich's John Rich and recorded by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released in November 2005 as the second single from his self-titled debut album. It became Aldean's first number-one single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

"Why" is a song by 3T. It was written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and produced by Michael Jackson. This single comes from the album Brotherhood and it was released in 1996. The song was selected to be part of HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, but it was taken out and Michael Jackson decided to give it away to his nephews. This song was well received in European and Asian charts.

A music video was produced to promote the single. It features 3T and Jackson and is shot in black and white. The music video was released on the Michael Jackson's box set, Michael Jackson's Vision.

"Why" is a hit song recorded by Frankie Avalon in 1959 that went to No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for the week of December 28, 1959, making it the last No. 1 single of the 1950s. The single also became the first No. 1 single of the 1960s on the Cashbox magazine charts. The song was written by Avalon's manager and record producer Robert "Bob" Marcucci and Peter De Angelis. It was Avalon's second and final No. 1 hit. The melody is based on an Italian song. The Avalon version features a female singer, which is heard in the repeat of the first four lines of the first part of the song, with Frankie, replying: "Yes, I Love you"., where he concludes the last quarter of the song, with a Coda, by himself.

Why is a board game from the late 1950s created by the Milton Bradley Company based on the television show Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The game is no longer produced. There are two different releases of the game: the original 1958 release and the 1967 release, differing only in the box art.

Why can be played by two to four players aged 12 to adult. The four gamepiece characters are each humorous allusions to detectives of popular media fiction: Sergeant Monday ( Sergeant Friday), Dick Crazy ( Dick Tracy), Charlie Clam ( Charlie Chan), and Shylock Bones ( Sherlock Holmes). The six "ghosts" in the game are each based on actual historical figures: Daniel Boone, Pocahontas, Napoleon, Nero, Cleopatra and Henry the Eighth. The weapons in the game are a rope, a gun, poison, and an ax. The motive cards include the "Jealousy," "Lover's Quarrel," "Self Defense," and can be used only in conjunction with Alfred Hitchcock "It's A Mystery To Me" card.

The object of the game is to capture one ghost, one weapon, and one motive card. There are four cards for each ghost and weapon. An alternative way to win is capturing the six Alfred Hitchcock cards and the "It's A Mystery To Me" card. Each player is dealt seven cards and start out in the Living Room. The remaining cards are dealt evenly into the six rooms. A player can only have up to seven cards in his or her hand at one time. A player is able to obtain more cards from the lawn, from another player, or from another room.

To acquire cards from the lawn, a player must first make it to the Living Room by rolling a 7, 11, doubles, or the player's normal roll. Then they have to prove they have that type of card by showing it and then flipping over the card they want. If they are correct, they take the card. If they are incorrect, they must put down the card they thought it was and take the wrong card. For one player to take from another, they must be on the same space as each other or in the same room. A player challenges another player's card by first proving that they have one of its set. If they do have the card, they must give it to the player or they can give them a "No Clue" card and this card is removed from the game. If they do not have the card, they are then able to challenge that player for a card with the same rules applying. The player's turn ends after this. To get a card from a room, they must first make it to the room by rolling a 7, 11, doubles, or through the regular roll. Then they pick up the top card and discard the same card or another card if applicable into the lawn.

"Why" is a protest song by the rapper Jadakiss, the second single released from his second solo album Kiss of Death. It features singer Anthony Hamilton in the chorus and was produced by Mobb Deep member Havoc. It was a crossover hit in several countries. The song ranked #64 in About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs. The remix produced by Elite with a new chorus was later released featuring Anthony Hamilton, Styles P, Common and Nas. Another remix was released, titled "Why 2K7", featuring the rapper Lil' Wayne. This remix is available on DJ 007's Beast of the East, a collaboration mixtape with Fabolous and Jadakiss.

Although not a remix nor a sequel, Jadakiss released the song "What If" that almost follows the same concept as "Why". All of the verses start with the latter title. It included Nas (who - as mentioned above - was featured in the remix of "Why") and is on his album The Last Kiss.

The song was covered by UK Grime rapper Black the Ripper on his 2008 Summer Madness mixtape.

"Why" is a song recorded by American country band Rascal Flatts. It is the third single from their sixth studio album, Unstoppable. It was released to radio stations on September 29, 2009 and debuted at number 44 on the U.S. Billboard US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of October 10, 2009. It was written by Rob Mathes and Allen Shamblin.

''Dim Gaai (Cantonese 點解 Why) is the second studio album of cantopop singer Prudence Liew, released in 1987.

"Why (Must We Fall in Love)" is a Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations song released in 1970 as the second single from the album Together. While the album's preceding single, " The Weight" was only released in the US and Canada, "Why (Must We Fall in Love)" was not released in North America, but was released as a single in the United Kingdom, peaking at 31 on the charts. In Australia, the flip side "Rhythm of Life" went to #2.

"Why" is a dance single by D Mob with Cathy Dennis. It was the fourth single released from Into the Skyline, a full year after the previous single. In the UK, it reached No. 23, making it the most successful single from the album.

"Why?" was dedicated in memory of Philip Hall, who died in December 1993.

Dennis performed the song on the season 3 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210, "A Night to Remember", in 1993, and appeared alongside Jason Priestley in the closing credits.

"Why" is one of the early songs performed by the Beatles when they were backing Tony Sheridan as the Beat Brothers. In the UK, it is the B-side of the instrumental rock tune " Cry for a Shadow". Although it was originally intended to be the A-side, the record label Polydor chose not to release it (at that time). When the Beatles were gaining popularity by 1964, the record label decided to release it with "Cry for a Shadow" as the A-side and "Why" as its B-side. In the US and Canada, it was released as originally intended, by the North American record label MGM with "Why" as the A-side and "Cry for a Shadow" as the B-side, due to its being an instrumental.

"Why" is a song by the American rock band The Byrds, written by Jim McGuinn and David Crosby and first released as the B-side of the band's " Eight Miles High" single in March 1966. The song was re-recorded in December 1966 and released for a second time as part of the band's Younger Than Yesterday album. Born from Crosby's fondness for the music of Ravi Shankar, the song was an attempt to assimilate traditional Indian music into a rock and pop format. However, rather than actually using Indian instruments on the song, the band instead used McGuinn's raga-flavored guitar playing to emulate the sound of the sitar. "Why", along with "Eight Miles High", was influential in developing the musical styles of psychedelic rock and raga rock.

"Why" (stylized as WHY) is Japanese singer-songwriter and composer Miliyah Kato's sixteenth single, and the first to be taken from her fifth studio album Heaven. It was released throughout Japan on November 18, 2009.

WHY is a Canadian band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1993. They released their first album THE NAKED SOUL in 1994. They use their music to promote and support positive causes. Their most recent album released was WHY "The Leap" (2013) with singles "Weep" and "Do It Scared" are currently recording their next one. WHY had two hit singles from Red, "The Surface" and "Red", the latter winning song of the year on Winnipeg radio station KICK FM. WHY also gained further notoriety with their video and hit single "Prisoner of Hope" in 2010.

"Why" is a song written by Barry Gibb and composed by Andy Gibb, fourth and last single released on the album Shadow Dancing. Released as a single in September 1978 around the same time as " (Our Love) Don't Throw it All Away". It was his only single that was not charted in all countries.

"Why" is a song performed by American recording artist Mary J. Blige, from her tenth studio album, My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1) (2011). It was written by Blige along with Dave Young, Eric Hudson, and William Roberts II, with Hudson producing the song and Rick Ross having featured vocals. A soulful R&B song that makes use of hip hop soul and quiet storm influences and a beat-heavy, strings–led production, the song initially impacted on US radios on April 10, 2012 as the album's third single.

Why (Baby V.O.X) was the fourth album of Korean girl group Baby V.O.X. Its singles were Why, Betrayal, and Consent. This was considered as their best release throughout their career. Their single Why did well in the Korean Music Charts. This album sold about 200,000 copies.

' Why 'is the second extended play by South Korean singer Taeyeon, released by S.M. Entertainment on June 28, 2016.