hence
/ˈhɛns/ adverb, interjection, verb, proper noun
Forms hences hencing henced
- adverb (archaic) From here, from this place, away. “I'm going hence, because you have insulted me.”
- adverb (archaic, figuratively) From the living or from this world. “After a long battle, my poor daughter was taken hence.”
- adverb (of a length of time) In the future from now. “A year hence it will be forgotten.”
- adverb (conjunctive) As a result; therefore, for this reason. “I shall go to Japan and hence will not be here in time for the party.”
- interjection (obsolete) Go away! Begone!
- verb (obsolete, transitive) To utter "hence!" to; to send away.
- verb (dated, intransitive) To depart; to go away.
- proper noun (very rare) A male given name.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
A later Middle English spelling, retaining the voiceless -s, of hennes (henne + adverbial genitive ending -s), from Old English heonan (“away", "hence”), from a Proto-West Germanic *hin-, from Proto-Germanic *hiz, and Proto-Germanic *-anē.
Cognate with Old Saxon hinan, Old High German hinnan (German hinnen), Dutch heen, Swedish hän. Related to Old English her (“here”).
Webster’s 1913
- adverb From this place; away. "Or that we hence wend." Chaucer.
- adverb From this time; in the future; as, a week hence. "Half an hour hence." Shak.
- verb To send away. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney.
Etymology [OE. hennes, hens (the s is prop. a genitive ending; cf. -wards), also hen, henne, hennen, heonnen, heonene, AS. heonan, heonon, heona, hine; akin to OHG. hinnan, G. hinnen, OHG. hina, G. hin; all from the root of E. he. See He.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “hence”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details