adverb
whence
WENSS/wens/
From where.
The woman traces the water upward to discover whence it comes.
Etymology
Middle English whenne already meant “from what place”; the ending marked its adverbial use. Whence asks about an origin, whether a physical starting place, a source, or a cause.
In context
Bandit then good sir I suggest thou turn thyself about and head back the road to Nottingham from whence thou came
More examples
- She follows the river to the spring whence it flows.
- No one knows whence the strange noise comes.
- The historian identifies the sources whence these stories arose.
Similar words
- from where
- Expresses the same meaning in everyday rather than formal language.