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Definition of "whence" []

  • From where; from what place: Whence came this traveler? (adverb)
  • From what origin or source: Whence comes this splendid feast? (adverb)
  • Out of which place; from or out of which. (conjunction)
  • By reason of which; from which: The dog was coal black from nose to tail, whence the name Shadow. (conjunction)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "whence" in a sentence
  • "And hence assumption determines the term whence and the term whither; for assumption means a taking to oneself from another."
  • "The idea of from is included in the word whence -- therefore it is unnecessary to say "From whence.""
  • "In St. Benedict we find the name vespera which has prevailed, whence the French word vêpres and the English vespers."