/ˈhɛns/
OriginA 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”).
- archaic, not-comparableFrom here, from this place, away.
“I'm going hence, because you have insulted me.”
“Get thee hence, Satan!”
“O Gertrude, come away: / The sun no ſooner ſhall the Mountaines touch, / But we will ſhip him hence,”
- archaic, figuratively, not-comparableFrom the living or from this world.
“After a long battle, my poor daughter was taken hence.”
- not-comparableIn the future from now.
“A year hence it will be forgotten.”
“[…]And now farewell / Till half an hour hence.”
“There may be an occasion to do so two years hence.”
- conjunctive, not-comparableAs a result; therefore, for this reason.
“I shall go to Japan and hence will not be here in time for the party.”
“The purse is handmade and hence very expensive.”
“Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.”
- obsoleteGo away! Begone!
“Zuc[cone]. Hence auant I will marie a woman with no wombe, a creature with two noſes, a wench with no haire rather then remarie thee, […]”
“Mira[nda]. Beſeech you Father.
Proſ[pero]. Hence: hang not on my garments.”
- obsolete, transitiveTo utter "hence!" to; to send away.
- dated, intransitiveTo depart; to go away.
Formshences(present, singular, third-person) · hencing(participle, present) · henced(participle, past) · henced(past)