whence

American  

[hwens, wens] / ʰwɛns, wɛns /

adverb

1. from what place?.

   Whence comest thou?

2. from what source, origin, or cause?.

   Whence has he wisdom?

---

conjunction

1. from what place, source, cause, etc..

   He told whence he came.

whence British  

/ wɛns /

adverb

1. from what place, cause, or origin?

---

pronoun

1. (subordinating) from what place, cause, or origin

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?"

Example Sentences

You may be wondering just whence that staggering valuation arises, then.

From Slate • Mar. 28, 2024

You may have looked at this strange, jolly person and wondered whence he came and what kind of career could have sustained him to this point.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2024

Downes suspects Bruiser’s ilk made their way back east into the North Cascades from whence they hail.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 7, 2023

“From whence came this woman’s strategic political genius?”

From New York Times • May 24, 2023

As it was, the point just cut the cloth of his coat, making a wide gap whence a bundle of bank-notes and a stream of gold fell out.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker