Dictionary.com

hence

[ hens ]
/ hɛns /
Save This Word!

adverb
as an inference from this fact; for this reason; therefore: The eggs were very fresh and hence satisfactory.
from this time; from now: They will leave a month hence.
from this source or origin.
Archaic.
  1. from this place; from here; away: The inn is but a quarter mile hence.
  2. from this world or from the living: After a long, hard life they were taken hence.
  3. henceforth; from this time on.
interjection
Obsolete. depart (usually used imperatively).
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of hence

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English hens, hennes, equivalent to henne (Old English heonan ) + -es adverb suffix; see -s1

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hence

hence , hither, thence, thither, whence, whither, yon
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hence in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hence

hence
/ (hɛns) /

sentence connector
for this reason; following from this; therefore
adverb
from this timea year hence
archaic
  1. from here or from this world; away
  2. from this origin or source
interjection
archaic begone! away!

Word Origin for hence

Old English hionane; related to Old High German hinana away from here, Old Irish cen on this side
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK