whence

1 of 2

adverb

: from what place, source, or cause
then whence comes this paradoxChanging Times

whence

2 of 2

conjunction

1
: from what place, source, or cause
inquired whence the water cameMaria Edgeworth
2
a
: from or out of which place, source, or cause
the lawless society whence the ballads sprangDeLancey Ferguson
b
: by reason of which fact
nothing broke—whence I infer that my bones are not yet chalkyO. W. Holmes †1935
Phrases
from whence
: from what place, source, or cause
no one could tell me from whence the gold had comeGraham Greene

Examples of whence in a Sentence

Adverb They returned to the land whence they came.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
In the season 4 finale of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, the titular super-screwups publicly defeated the demon Neron, thus erasing the dystopian future from whence cynical hacktivist Zari (Tala Ashe) initially came. Chancellor Agard, EW.com, 22 Jan. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English whennes, from whenne whence (from Old English hwanon) + -s, adverb suffix, from -s, genitive singular ending; akin to Old High German hwanān whence, Old English hwā who

First Known Use

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Conjunction

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of whence was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near whence

Cite this Entry

“Whence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whence. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

whence

1 of 2 adverb
(ˈ)hwen(t)s How to pronounce whence (audio)
(ˈ)wen(t)s
: from what place, source, or cause
whence come all these doubts

whence

2 of 2 conjunction
: from or out of which place, source, or cause
the land whence they came

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