From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Whatever \What*ev"er\, pronoun Anything soever which; the thing or things of any kind; being this or that; of one nature or another; one thing or another; anything that may be; all that; the whole that; all particulars that; -- used both substantively and adjectively.
Whatever fortune stays from his word. --Shak.
Whatever Earth, all-bearing mother, yields. --Milton.
Whatever be its intrinsic value. --J. H. Newman.
Note: Whatever often follows a noun, being used elliptically. ''There being no room for any physical discovery whatever'' [sc. it may be]. --Whately.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
adjective
1: one or some or every or all without specification; "give me any peaches you don't want"; "not any milk is left"; "any child would know that"; "pick any card"; "any day now"; "cars can be rented at almost any airport"; "at twilight or any other time"; "beyond any doubt"; "need any help we can get"; "give me whatever peaches you don't want"; "no milk whatsoever is left" [syn: {any(a)}, {whatsoever}]
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