whence
UK: wɛns | US: wɛns
adv. from what place, source, or origin (archaic or formal)
adv. from which; from where (formal/literary)
whence = when<at what time> + ce<old dative suffix>
- when (from Old English hwænne, meaning "at what time")
- ce (an old dative suffix, no longer productive in Modern English)
Etymology Origin:
The word "whence" originates from Old English hwanon, combining hwænne (when) with a directional suffix. It originally meant "from what place or source," retaining its core meaning over time. Though now archaic or formal, it persists in literary contexts, reflecting its historical role in interrogative and relative clauses about origin.
"Whence came this strange artifact?"
"He returned to the land whence he had fled."
"Whence all this anger?" she wondered aloud.
The letter disclosed little about whence it was sent.
"To the stars, whence we truly belong," the poet wrote.