▪ I. hence, adv.
(hɛns)
Forms: 3–4 heonnes, 3–5 hennes, (3 hinnes, hunnes, 4 hennus, henys, 4–5 hennys, -is); 4–6 hens, (5 hense, henes, -us, 6 Sc. henss, ynce); 6– hence.
[ME. hennes, etc., f. the earlier henne, hen adv., with adverbial genitive suffix -es, -s, as in -ward, -wards, etc. The spelling hence is phonetic, to retain the breath sound denoted in the earlier spelling by s, as in once, twice, mice, pence, defence, etc.]
I. Of place.
1. (Away) from here, from this place; to a distance.
| c 1275 Lay. 1581 Are we hinnes [c 1205 heonne] wende. c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 41/231 Ich it wolle hennes lede. c 1300 Beket 998 Go hunnes. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace 16562 To Cornewaille þey fledden hennes. 1382 Wyclif Gen. xlii. 15 Ȝe shulen not goon hens, to the tyme that ȝoure leest brother come. c 1400 Sowdone Bab. 1922 Elles come we nevere hennys oute. c 1440 York Myst. xxii. 3 High you hense. 1559 Mirr. Mag., Dk. Suffolk xii, In wit and learning matcheles hence to Grece. c 1560 A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) xx. 57 Thairfoir go hens in haist. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. i. ii. 60 How churlishly, I chid Lucetta hence. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 214 Hence our journey led us homewards in five dayes sayle. 1808 Scott Marm. vi. xxiii, Hence might they see the full array of either host. |
b. At a distance from here; away.
| c 1330 Assump. Virg. 328 (B.M. MS.), I was fer hens atte my prechinge. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. vi. 80 Lyf-holynesse and loue, han ben longe hennes. 1562 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 177 Ye haue tarid longe hence. 1595 Spenser Col. Clout 22 Whilest thou wast hence. 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. iv. iii. 86, I haue a Kinsman not past three quarters of a mile hence. |
c. with redundant from († fro).
| c 1340 Cursor M. 1264 (Trin.) Þi gate Fro hennes to paradis ȝate. 1388 Wyclif Gen. xlii. 15 Ȝe schulen not go fro hennus. 1477 Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 146 Socrates was..boren in a ferre Contre from hens. 1526 Tindale Luke iv. 10 Cast thy silfe doune from hens. 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, iii. iii. 6 Richard, not farre from hence, hath hid his head. 1704 Addison Italy Wks. 1804 V. 149 We sailed from hence directly for Genoa. 1792 T. Jefferson Writ. (1859) III. 489 It being impossible to prescribe them from hence. 1820 W. Irving Sketch Bk. I. 171 From hence I was conducted up a staircase to a suite of apartments. |
2. with ellipsis of vb. of motion, chiefly as a command: hence! go hence, depart. hence with: go away with, take away.
| 1573–80 Baret Alv. H. 392 Hence, away, apage te. 1583 Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 66 Let vs hence. 1593 Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 382, I pray you hence, and leave me here alone. 1610 ― Temp. i. ii. 474 Hence: hang not on my garments. 1611 ― Wint. T. ii. iii. 67 Hence with her, out o'dore. 1637 Milton Lycidas 18 Hence with denial vain and coy excuse. 1769 Gray Ode for Music 12 Hence, away, 'tis holy ground! 1855 Browning Grammarian's Funeral 112 Hence with life's pale lure! |
3. spec. From this world, from this life.
| c 1315 Shoreham 83 That no fend ous ne schende Nou, ne wanne the tyme comthe Thet we scholle hennes wende. c 1450 Lay Folks Mass Bk. (MS. F.) 121 And for the saules that hennes be past. 1583 Stubbes Anat. Abus. ii. (1882) 86 When God shall call them hence to himself. 1611 Bible Ps. xxxix. 13 Before I goe hence, and be no more. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 443 They go from hence into the other world. |
† b. Elsewhere (than in this world); in the next world. Obs.
| 1426 Audelay Poems 11 Hit schal be ponysched here or henus evere trespasse. 1595 Shakes. John iv. ii. 89 This must be answer'd either heere or hence. 1602 ― Ham. iii. ii. 232 Both heere, and hence, pursue me lasting strife, If once a Widdow, euer I be Wife. |
II. Of time.
4. From this time onward, henceforward, henceforth. Also with from († fro). arch. and poet.
| c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. II. 17 From hens bigan Jesus to preche. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame iii. 194 Fro hennes in to domes day. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. v. ii. 826 Hence euer then, my heart is in thy brest. 1604 ― Oth. iii. iii. 379 From hence Ile loue no Friend, sith Loue breeds such offence. 1633 P. Fletcher Purple Isl. xii. lxxxviii, Hence mayst thou freely play. 1818 Shelley Rev. Islam ix. xvi, That the rule of men was over now, And hence, the subject world to woman's will must bow. |
† b. (At some time in the past reckoned) from now; in quot. 1393 = since, ago. Obs. rare.
| 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. vi. 35 Whanne ich ȝong was..meny ȝer hennes. 1610 Bp. Hall Recoll. Treat. (1614) 738 But you leape backe..from hence to the Apostles times. |
c. (At some time in the future) from now.
| 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. iii. i. 122 Ile meet you at that place some houre hence. a 1735 Arbuthnot (J.), Let not posterity a thousand years hence look for truth in the voluminous annals of pedants. 1885 Manch. Exam. 12 Oct. 5/1 We have to..think of what our position will be five years hence. |
III. Of issue, result, consequence, etc.
5. From this, as a source or origin.
| 1597 Shakes. Lover's Compl. 110 Controversy hence a question takes, Whether the horse by him became his deed, Or he his manage by the well-doing steed. a 1641 Suckling Love's World 15 Poems (1648) 11 My Flora was my Sun..All other faces borrowed hence Their light and grace. 1667 Milton P.L. vii. 366 Hence [from the sun] the Morning Planet guilds his horns. |
b. from († of) hence: from this world.
| 1382 Wyclif John xviii. 36 Now forsothe my kyngdom is not of hennis [Tindale and 1611 from hence]. |
6. (As a result) from this fact or circumstance. Also with from.
| 1608 D. T. Ess. Pol. & Mor. 107 Hence proceeded that pleasant Motto of the Græcian Courtizan. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 62 Hence it is, saith R. Moses, that the Law of Moses forbiddeth these rites. 1725 Pope Odyss. xii. 252 Learn courage hence! 1771 Goldsm. Hist. Eng. II. 280 From hence he has been accused, by historians, of avarice. 1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan 46 You have fallen out, and hence your thoughts are sad. |
7. (As an inference) from this fact or circumstance; from these premisses or data; for this reason; therefore.
| 1586 Young Guazzo's Civ. Conv. iv. 226 From hence, saide Lord John, we may know, that if [etc.]. 1660 Barrow Euclid (1714) 27 Coroll. Hence, All right-lined figures of the same species have the sum of their angles equal. 1695 Enq. Anc. Const. Eng. 77, I grant it; but what do you infer from hence? 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) III. 253 From hence, therefore, we may conclude, that the size in these animals is not sufficient to make a distinction among them. 1840 Lardner Geom. 210 Hence, the surface of the entire sphere is equal to the surface of the entire cylinder. 1864 Bowen Logic vi. 167 Rule. Both Contraries may be false, but both cannot be true. Hence, to posit A is to sublate E; to posit E is to sublate A. Mod. It is so with men generally, and hence we assume it to be so with you. |
IV. 8. Comb. a. with n., as hence-departure, hence-going; b. with pa. pple., as hence-brought, hence-got, etc.; hence-meant, intended, purposed, or planned from this place. Obs. or arch.
| a. 1611 Shakes. Cymb. iii. ii. 65 From our hence-going, And our returne. ― Wint. T. i. ii. 450 My people did expect my hence departure Two dayes agoe. |
| b. 1589 Warner Alb. Eng. vi. xxxiii, As if by miracle preseru'd by Forraines long From hence-ment Treasons. 1602 Ibid. xiii. lxxix, Much have we done, hence-outed. 1610 Healey St. Aug. Citie of God 122 Even building the Capitoll up with hence-got spoiles. a 1649 Drummond of Hawthornden Poems Wks. (1711) 37 That Rhine with hence⁓brought beams his bosom warms. |
▪ II. † hence, v. Obs. rare.
[f. prec.]
a. trans. To order hence or away. b. intr. To go hence, depart.
| 1580 Sidney Arcadia (1622) 95 With that his dog he henc'd his flocke he curst. 1614 Sylvester Panaretus 1281 Here-with the Angell henc't, and bent his flight Tow'rds Our Sad Citie. |
▪ III. hence, n. U.S.
[hence adv. 3 b and 4 c.]
a. The other world. b. The future.
| 1884 E. W. Nye Baled Hay 26 All-wool delaine that was worn by one who is now in the golden hence. 1904 F. Lynde Grafters xviii. 233 Now suppose you hint..that more..developments may be safely predicted in the immediate hence. |