where
where
(wɛə
) adverb
1
a in, at, or to what place, point, or position? ■ where are you going?
b (used in indirect questions) ■ I don't know where they are
2 in, at, or to which (place) ■ the hotel where we spent our honeymoon
3 (subordinating) in the place at which ■ where we live it's always raining
▷ noun
4 (usually plural) a question as to the position, direction, or destination of something
[Old English hwǣr, hwār(a); related to Old Frisian hwēr, Old Saxon, Old High German hwār, Old Norse, Gothic hvar]
▶
USAGE
It was formerly considered incorrect to use where as a substitute for in which after a noun which did not refer to a place or position, but this use has now become acceptable: we now have a situation where/in which no further action is needed