# hence

Pronunciation: say "HENS" /ˈhɛns/

## Adverb

1. Because of what has just been stated; consequently or accordingly.
   - Simple: As a result, because of what came before.
   - _Our flight was canceled because of the storm, hence the extra night we spent at the airport hotel._
   - _Demand had risen sharply; hence prices climbed across the region._
2. At a stated time in the future, measured from now.
   - Simple: At a time in the future, a stated length of time from now.
   - _The election is scheduled for two years hence._
   - _We shall return to these shores three summers hence._

## Adverb

3. Away from here; out of the place where one is. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Away from here, away from where one is.
5. Away from the world of the living; out of life, used of dying. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Away from the living, out of life into death.

## Verb

4. To depart from a place; to go away. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To leave a place and go away.
7. To drive a person off by calling out 'hence!' to them; to send away. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To order someone away by shouting 'hence' at them.

## Interjection

6. An exclamation ordering someone to leave; begone! *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Used to order someone to leave at once. Go away!
   - _"Hence!" she cried, flinging the door wide open._
   - _Hence, foul beggar, and trouble this house no more!_

## Origin

'Hence' is a later Middle English spelling of 'hennes', formed from 'henne' plus the adverbial genitive ending -s. It comes from Old English 'heonan' ('away', 'hence'), from Proto-West Germanic and Proto-Germanic roots, and is related to Old English 'her' ('here'). It is cognate with Old Saxon 'hinan', Old High German 'hinnan', Dutch 'heen', and Swedish 'hän'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/hence (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).