how

adv

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kʷ- Proto-Indo-European *kʷís Proto-Germanic *hwō Old English hū Middle English how English how From Middle English how, hou, hu, hwu, from Old English hū, from Proto-West Germanic *hwō, from Proto-Germanic *hwō (“through what, how”), from the same root as hwæt (“who, what”). /hw/ > /h/ due to wh-cluster reduction in Old English; compare who, which underwent this change later, and thus is spelt wh (Middle English spelling of /hw/) but pronounced /h/ (it previously had a different vowel, hence avoided the spelling and sound change in Old English). Vowel change per Great Vowel Shift. Akin to Scots hoo, foo (“how”), North Frisian ho, hü, hur (“how”), Saterland Frisian wo (“how”), West Frisian hoe (“how”), Dutch hoe (“how”), Low German ho, wo, wu (“how”), German wie (“how”), Swedish hur (“how”). See who and compare why.

1. To what degree or extent.

   “How often do you practice?”

   “The gauge indicated how hot the oven was.”

2. In what manner

   “Economics is a messy discipline: too fluid to be a science, too rigorous to be an art. Perhaps it is fitting that economists’ most-used metric, gross domestic product (GDP), is a tangle too.[…]But as a foundation for analysis it is highly subjective: it rests on difficult decisions about what counts as a territory, what counts as output and how to value it. Indeed, economists are still tweaking it.”

3. In what manner:

   “How do you solve this puzzle? –Sorry, I can't remember how.”

   “How else can we get this finished?”

4. In what manner:

   “How should I know whether he likes raisins or not? Ask him!”

5. In what manner:

   “How are you fixed for money?”

   “How did you vote in the last election?”

6. In what manner:

   “How the stock market interprets events has real consequences.”

   “A heap of stamps? Yes. Stamps they were indeed, hundreds of penny Queen's Heads neatly mounted on the original sheets. "Good God!" exclaimed Mr. Erskine as he turned to Mr. Sackville, "how am I to take this, sir?" said he severely. "Where are the real stamps? Were they ever inside, ever in your possession at all? If it is a joke, it is a very poor one."”

7. In what manner:

   “"How art thou called? Thy name make known; Thy father's name and family,—tell me thy father's and thine own."”

   “Salutation—How does one address the recipient; what titles, greetings, and honorifics are preferred; how does one manage the problem of unknown gender;[…]”

8. In what manner:

   “Shal. How a score of ewes now? Sil. Thereafter as they be: a score of good ewes may be worth ten pounds.”

9. In what state or condition.

   “How are you?”

   “How was your vacation?”

10. In the manner in which.

    “I said it exactly how he said it.”

11. In any manner in which; in whatever way; however.

    “People should be free to live how they want.”

12. In which.

    “The way how you walk is funny.”

13. Used as a modifier to indicate surprise, delight, or other strong feelings in an exclamation.

    “How very interesting!”

    “How wonderful it was to receive your invitation.”

conj

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kʷ- Proto-Indo-European *kʷís Proto-Germanic *hwō Old English hū Middle English how English how From Middle English how, hou, hu, hwu, from Old English hū, from Proto-West Germanic *hwō, from Proto-Germanic *hwō (“through what, how”), from the same root as hwæt (“who, what”). /hw/ > /h/ due to wh-cluster reduction in Old English; compare who, which underwent this change later, and thus is spelt wh (Middle English spelling of /hw/) but pronounced /h/ (it previously had a different vowel, hence avoided the spelling and sound change in Old English). Vowel change per Great Vowel Shift. Akin to Scots hoo, foo (“how”), North Frisian ho, hü, hur (“how”), Saterland Frisian wo (“how”), West Frisian hoe (“how”), Dutch hoe (“how”), Low German ho, wo, wu (“how”), German wie (“how”), Swedish hur (“how”). See who and compare why.

1. That, the fact that.

   “She told me how her father was a doctor.”

   ““There’s this real Al Capone fear that they’re going to get our guys, not on marijuana, but on something else,” Mr. Edson said, referring to how Capone was eventually charged with tax evasion rather than criminal activity.”

intj

Etymology: From a Siouan language; compare Lakota háu. Alternatively from Wyandot haau.

1. A greeting, used in representations of Native American speech.

name

1. A surname.
2. A town in Oconto County, Wisconsin, United States, named after Calvin F. How Jr.
3. A hamlet in Hayton parish, City of Carlisle district, Cumbria, England (OS grid ref NY5056).

noun

Etymology: From Middle English howe, hough, hogh, partly from Old English hōh (“promontory”), and partly from Old Norse haugr (“a how, mound”). Compare Old French höe (“hillock, hill”), from the same Germanic source.

1. An artificial barrow or tumulus; in later folklore, associated with fairies.

   “Fianlly, as regards the places in which these rites and mysteries may have been held, certain writers believe them to have been the "Fairy Hills" or "howes" in various parts of Scotland.”

   “The fairy feast inside the howe (and this barrow is hill-sized) reminds one of nothing so much as a tale in the Icelandic Eyrbyggia saga, written in the mid thirteenth century.”

2. In northern England, a low hill.