Of which; concerning which; an archaic or formal phrase meaning 'about which' or 'of that which.'
A combination of 'where' and 'of,' using the Old English prefix 'where-' (meaning relative location or reference). This construction was common in Middle English and survives in formal legal and religious language.
Phrases like 'whereof' and 'thereof' survive in legal documents and oaths ('I do solemnly swear whereof...') because lawyers deliberately use archaic language to make laws seem timeless and unchanging—it's a form of linguistic authority!
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