whence [ -vcwfpamsS ] [ -x num ] name ...
       For each name, indicate how it would be interpreted if used as a
       command name.

       If name is not an alias,  built-in  command,  external  command,
       shell  function,  hashed  command,  or a reserved word, the exit
       status shall be non-zero, and -- if -v, -c, or -w was passed  --
       a  message will be written to standard output.  (This is differ-
       ent from other shells that write that message  to  standard  er-
       ror.)

       whence  is most useful when name is only the last path component
       of a command, i.e. does not include a `/'; in  particular,  pat-
       tern  matching only succeeds if just the non-directory component
       of the command is passed.

       -v     Produce a more verbose report.

       -c     Print the results  in  a  csh-like  format.   This  takes
              precedence over -v.

       -w     For  each  name,  print `name: word' where word is one of
              alias, builtin, command, function,  hashed,  reserved  or
              none,  according  as  name  corresponds  to  an  alias, a
              built-in command, an external command, a shell  function,
              a command defined with the hash builtin, a reserved word,
              or  is not recognised.  This takes precedence over -v and
              -c.

       -f     Causes the contents of a shell function to be  displayed,
              which  would otherwise not happen unless the -c flag were
              used.

       -p     Do a path search for name even if it  is  an  alias,  re-
              served word, shell function or builtin.

       -a     Do  a  search  for all occurrences of name throughout the
              command path.  Normally  only  the  first  occurrence  is
              printed.   When combined with -m, only names appearing in
              the command hash table are searched, but all  occurrences
              of those names are printed.

       -m     The  arguments  are taken as patterns (pattern characters
              should be quoted), and the information is  displayed  for
              each  entry  in  the  command  hash table matching one of
              these patterns.  The hash table  is  first  refilled,  in
              case of changes to PATH.

       -s     If  a  pathname contains symlinks, print the symlink-free
              pathname as well.

       -S     As -s, but if the pathname had to be resolved by  follow-
              ing   multiple   symlinks,  the  intermediate  steps  are
              printed, too.  The symlink resolved at each step might be
              anywhere in the path.

       -x num Expand tabs when outputting shell functions using the  -c
              option.  This has the same effect as the -x option to the
              functions builtin.

type [ -wfpamsS ] name ...
       Equivalent to whence -v.

where [ -wpmsS ] [ -x num ] name ...
       Equivalent to whence -ca.

which [ -wpamsS ] [ -x num ] name ...
       Equivalent to whence -c.
