"Where is the cat?" - What part of speech is the word "where"?

Question

In the sentence, "Where is the cat?", what part of speech is the word "where"?

Frankly, I think no one knows. You can argue it's an adverb, you can argue that it's a conjunction, you can argue that it's a noun. — Hot Licks, Feb 3, 2017 at 4:15

Aziz · Accepted Answer · 2016-03-02 05:22:43Z

1

"Where" is an adverb telling us 'at what location.'

answered Mar 2, 2016 at 5:22

Aziz

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rogermue · Accepted Answer · 2016-03-02 06:02:46Z

4

Wikipedia uses interrogative word or simply question-word. This word class is not contained in the traditional list of word classes. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interrogative_word

answered Mar 2, 2016 at 5:55

rogermue

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From that, I guess it would be an "interrogative pro-adverb."
– Der Übermensch
Mar 2, 2016 at 6:38
@H3br3wHamm3r81: or maybe more of an "interrogative pro-prepositional phrase". Relevant: Is “now” a “preposition”?
– herisson
Feb 3, 2017 at 4:22

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user71207 · Accepted Answer · 2021-07-19 08:19:46Z

-1

The term is called a locative, since it orients you at a location.

answered Jul 19, 2021 at 7:03

user71207

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This would be better if you included a linked dictionary definition of locative.
– KillingTime
Jul 19, 2021 at 7:07
Done. Thanks for the suggestion
– user71207
Jul 19, 2021 at 8:19
Locative is not a part of speech, but rather words or phrases expressing location. For example, in the yard is a prepositional phrase with a locative role in We stopped in the yard.
– DW256
Jul 19, 2021 at 8:28

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3 Answers 3