- from whence
-
phrasal
from what place, source, or cause <no one could tell me from whence the gold had come — Graham Greene>
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
from whence
Look at other dictionaries:
from whence — from whence, from hence 1. Although widely disapproved of on the grounds that from is redundant, from whence has a long and distinguished history of use in questions • (From whence these Murmurs, and this change of mind Dryden, 1697) and in… … Modern English usage
from whence — Although this phrase has been widely used in previous centuries (even in the King James version of the Bible), it is wordy. Omit from or whence or just say where: Where did that boot come from? … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
from hence — from whence, from hence 1. Although widely disapproved of on the grounds that from is redundant, from whence has a long and distinguished history of use in questions • (From whence these Murmurs, and this change of mind Dryden, 1697) and in… … Modern English usage
Whence — Whence, adv. [OE. whennes, whens (with adverbial s, properly a genitive ending; see { wards}), also whenne, whanene, AS. hwanan, hwanon, hwonan, hwanone; akin to D. when. See {When}, and cf. {Hence}, {Thence}.] [1913 Webster] 1. From what place;… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
whence — (also from whence) ► ADVERB formal or archaic 1) from what place or source? 2) from which; from where. 3) to the place from which. 4) as a consequence of which. USAGE Whence means ‘from what place’, as in who are you and whence come you? Strictly … English terms dictionary
whence — [ wens, hwens ] adverb, conjunction 1. ) LITERARY used for introducing the result of a fact that has just been stated: The work is slow and dangerous, whence the high costs. 2. ) an old or literary word meaning from where : He arrived at the… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
whence — whence, whither Both words have centuries of history behind them and were once routine in their respective meanings ‘from which place’ and ‘to which place’, but in current use they are regarded as archaic or at least highly formal, although they… … Modern English usage
whence — /hwens, wens/ adv. 1. from what place?: Whence comest thou? 2. from what source, origin, or cause?: Whence has he wisdom? conj. 3. from what place, source, cause, etc.: He told whence he came. [1250 1300; ME whennes, whannes, equiv. to whanne (by … Universalium
whence — [[t](h)wɛns, wɛns[/t]] adv. 1) from what place?: Whence comest thou?[/ex] 2) from what source, origin, or cause?: Whence has he wisdom?[/ex] 3) from what place, source, cause, etc.: He told whence he came[/ex] • Etymology: 1250–1300; ME whennes,… … From formal English to slang
whence — adv. & conj. formal adv. from what place? (whence did they come?). conj. 1 to the place from which (return whence you came). 2 (often prec. by place etc.) from which (the source whence these errors arise). 3 and thence (whence it follows that).… … Useful english dictionary
