Adjacent Words

Hence definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HENCE, adv. hens.
1. From this place.
Arise, let us go hence. John 14.
I will send thee far hence to the Gentiles. Acts 22.
2. From this time; in the future; as a week hence; a year hence.
3. From this cause or reason,noting a consequence, inference or deduction from something just before stated.
Hence perhaps it is, that Solomon calls the fear of the Lord, the beginning of wisdom.
It sometimes denotes an inference or consequence, resulting from something that follows.
Whence come wars and fightings among you?
Come they not hence, even from your lusts--James 4.
4. From this source or original.
All other faces borrowed hence--
Hence signifies from this, and from before hence is not strictly correct. But from hence is so well established by custom, that it may not be practicable to correct the use of the phrase.
Hence is used elliptically and imperatively, for go hence; depart hence; away; be gone.
Hence, with your little ones.
Hence, as a verb, to send off, as used by Sidney, is improper.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adv
1: (used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result; "therefore X must be true"; "the eggs were fresh and hence satisfactory"; "we were young and thence optimistic"; "it is late and thus we must go"; "the witness is biased and so cannot be trusted" [syn: therefore, hence, thence, thus, so]
2: from this place; "get thee hence!"
3: from this time; "a year hence it will be forgotten"

Merriam Webster's

adverb Etymology: Middle English hennes, henne, from Old English heonan; akin to Old High German hinnan away, Old English h?r here Date: 13th century 1. from this place ; away 2. a. archaic henceforth b. from this time <four years hence> 3. because of a preceding fact or premise ; therefore 4. from this source or origin

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adv. 1 from this time (two years hence). 2 for this reason; as a result of inference (hence we seem to be wrong). 3 archaic from here; from this place. Etymology: ME hens, hennes, henne f. OE heonan f. the root of HE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hence Hence, adv. [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. hinn[=a]n, G. hinnen, OHG. hina, G. hin; all from the root of E. he. See He.] 1. From this place; away. ``Or that we hence wend.'' --Chaucer. Arise, let us go hence. --John xiv. 31. I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. --Acts xxii. 21. 2. From this time; in the future; as, a week hence. ``Half an hour hence.'' --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hence Hence, v. t. To send away. [Obs.] --Sir P. Sidney.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. You use hence to indicate that the statement you are about to make is a consequence of what you have just said. (FORMAL) The trade imbalance is likely to rise again in 1990. Hence a new set of policy actions will be required soon... = therefore, thus ADV: ADV cl/group 2. You use hence in expressions such as 'several years hence' or 'six months hence' to refer to a time in the future, especially a long time in the future. (FORMAL) The gases that may be warming the planet will have their main effect many years hence. ADV: amount ADV

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

ad. 1. From this place, from here. 2. From this time, henceforth, henceforward, from this time forth or forward. 3. Therefore, from this cause, for that reason, as a consequence. 4. From this source.

Moby Thesaurus

accordingly, as a result, away, because of that, because of this, consequently, ergo, for that, for that cause, for that reason, for this cause, for this reason, for which reason, forth, hereat, in the future, off, on that account, on that ground, on this account, out, propter hoc, so, then, thence, thereat, therefor, therefore, therefrom, thereof, thereupon, thus, thusly, thuswise, whence, wherefore, wherefrom