What does who mean?
Who is an English pronoun that serves both as an interrogative word and a relative word. As an interrogative, it asks for the identity of a person, as in “Who is speaking?” As a relative pronoun, it introduces information about a person, as in “The singer who won the competition performed last.” In modern standard English, who is normally the subject form of the pronoun, while whom is used for objects and appears especially in formal writing. A restrictive clause using who generally identifies a specific person, whereas a nonrestrictive clause adds descriptive information about someone already identified. Who can also be nominalized in expressions such as “the who's who,” meaning the notable people in a particular field. Its straightforward sound and broad grammatical role make it one of English's most useful and immediately recognizable words.
An interrogative pronoun used to ask for the identity of a person, or a relative pronoun used to refer to or describe a person.
"Who wrote this letter?"
Who is the subject form and is the usual choice in both questions and relative clauses referring to people.
A nominalized interrogative meaning a notable or important person, especially in a particular field.
"The conference brought together the who's who of contemporary literature."
This use is chiefly found in the established expression “the who's who.”
From Old English hwā to modern who, this little question has spent centuries doing what it does best: pointing us straight to a person.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does who come from?
The modern word descends from Old English hwā, an interrogative pronoun used for people. It belongs to the Germanic group of wh- forms that also underlies words such as what, when, where, and why. Over time, who became the standard subject form, while whom and whose developed as related forms; who also extended from its interrogative use into relative-clause use.
Related word forms
How who is actually used
In standard formal English, who is generally used as a subject and whom as an object. In relative clauses, who commonly refers to people; which and, in restrictive clauses, that are often used for things. The contraction who's is common in speech and informal writing.
Easily confused with who
Who is used as the subject of a clause, while whom is used as its object: “Who called?” versus “Whom did you call?”