whence
Americanadverb
-
from what place?.
Whence comest thou?
-
from what source, origin, or cause?.
Whence has he wisdom?
conjunction
adverb
pronoun
Usage
Although sometimes criticized as redundant on the grounds that “from” is implied by the word whence, the idiom from whence is old in the language, well established, and standard. Among its users are the King James Bible, Shakespeare, Dryden, and Dickens: Hilary finally settled in Paris, from whence she bombarded us with letters, postcards, and sketches. From thence, a parallel construction, occurs infrequently.
The expression from whence should be avoided, since whence already means from which place: the tradition whence (not from whence ) such ideas flowed
Etymology
Origin of whence
1250–1300; Middle English whennes, whannes, equivalent to whanne (by syncope from Old English hwanone whence) + -s -s 1
Explanation
Use the adverb whence as an old-fashioned way to say "from which" or "from where." If you found a hundred dollar bill on the ground, you might ask, "Whence did this money come?" Not many people use the word whence these days — you're most likely to hear it in a Shakespeare play or if a speaker is trying to sound especially formal. Many people say, "from whence," as in "Throw that fish back in the sea from whence it came," although strictly speaking the "from" is unnecessary. Instead, a dinner party guest could ask, "Whence came this delicious fish?"
Vocabulary lists containing whence
Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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Twelfth Night
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The Awakening
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“A tree is a river to the sky, carrying water from the soil into the clouds,” whence it falls as life-giving rain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The freezer aisle, from whence many of its contents originate, does not do much to help the case.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
After that, whence music, a protester might ask.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2024
You may be wondering just whence that staggering valuation arises, then.
From Slate ● Mar. 28, 2024
Her only outings were her weekly trips to Sunday mass at the Church of Saint Sebastian, which was two blocks from her house, whence she was conveyed in a wheelchair by Ferula and the maid.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
