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hence

[ hens ]
/ hɛns /
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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).
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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
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