Definition of whence
(Entry 1 of 2)
: from what place, source, or cause
then whence comes this paradox — Changing Times
from whence
: from what place, source, or cause
no one could tell me from whence the gold had come— Graham Greene
whence
conjunctionDefinition of whence (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : from what place, source, or cause
inquired whence the water came— Maria Edgeworth
2a : from or out of which place, source, or cause
the lawless society whence the ballads sprang— DeLancey Ferguson
b : by reason of which fact
nothing broke—whence I infer that my bones are not yet chalky— O. W. Holmes †1935
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Time Traveler for whence
The first known use of whence was in the 13th century
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