whence

W5118400 (wĕns, hwĕns)adv.1. From where; from what place: Whence came this traveler?2. From what origin or source: Whence comes this splendid feast?conj.1. Out of which place; from or out of which.2. By reason of which; from which: The dog was coal black from nose to tail, whence the name Shadow.

[Middle English whennes : whenne, whence (from Old English hwanon; see k^wo- in Indo-European roots) + -es, genitive sing. suff.; see -s³.]Usage Note: The construction from whence has been criticized as redundant since the 1700s. It is true that whence incorporates the sense of from: a remote village, whence little news reached the wider world. But from whence has been used steadily by reputable writers since the 1300s, among them Shakespeare, John Milton, Jane Austen, and the translators of the King James Bible: "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help" (Psalms). Such a respectable precedent makes it difficult to label the construction, which is fairly rare and very formal in any case, as incorrect.

whence

(wɛns) advfrom what place, cause, or origin?pron (subordinating) from what place, cause, or origin[C13 whannes, adverbial genitive of Old English hwanon; related to Old Frisian hwana, Old High German hwanan]Usage: The expression from whence should be avoided, since whence already means from which place: the tradition whence (not from whence) such ideas flowed

whence

(ʰwɛns, wɛns)
adv. 1. from what place?: Whence comest thou? 2. from what source, origin, or cause?: Whence has he wisdom? conj. 3. from what place, source, cause, etc.: He told whence he came. [1250–1300; Middle English whennes, whannes=whanne (by syncope from Old English hwanone whence) + -s -s¹] usage: Although sometimes criticized as redundant on the grounds that “from” is included in the meaning of whence, the idiom from whence is old in the language, well established, and standard: She finally settled in Paris, from whence she bombarded us with letters and postcards. Among its users are the King James Bible, Shakespeare, Dryden, and Dickens. The parallel construction from thence occurs infrequently. Both are easy to avoid if desired.

Thesaurus

Adv.

whence - from what place, source, or cause

Translations

从哪里或何处

when

(wen) adverb at what time(?). When did you arrive?; When will you see her again?; I asked him when the incident had occurred; Tell me when to jump.何时 (wən, wen) conjunction1. (at or during) the time at which. It happened when I was abroad; When you see her, give her this message; When I've finished, I'll telephone you.当...时2. in spite of the fact that; considering that. Why do you walk when you have a car?既然whence (wens) adverb from what place or circumstance (?); from where (?). 从哪里或何处whenˈever adverb, conjunction1. at any time that. Come and see me whenever you want to.无论何时2. at every time that. I go to the theatre whenever I get the chance.每当