whoso

Whoso is an archaic English pronoun used to mean "whoever" or "any person who." It appears in Middle English and Early Modern English, most often in religious, legal, or poetic texts. In many instances it stands as a simple subject, and it is sometimes encountered in the fused form whosoever.

Etymology and form: The word is formed by a combination of the interrogative who with the particle so, signaling an indefinite reference. It survives in older literary and religious material, while the parallel form whosoever became the more common indefinite pronoun in later periods. Today, whoso is chiefly found in historical, poetic, or stylistic contexts.

Usage and examples: Whoso may be found in proverbs and poems, such as Sir Thomas Wyatt’s Whoso list to hunt: "Whoso list to hunt, I know where is a hind." In translations and the King James Bible, the related form whosoever appears frequently, as in "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." The standalone whoso tends to signal a deliberate archaism or a literary tone.

Modern status and interpretation: In contemporary English, whoso is rarely used outside literary or historical writing. Modern equivalents include whoever or anyone who. When encountered, it typically conveys a sense of antiquarian style rather than standard meaning.

See also: whoever, whosoever, archaic English pronouns, early modern English literature.