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hence

Etymology and origin of the English word hence

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1275

Pronunciation

Etymology

It is Middle English hennes, formed from henne “hence” and the adverbial genitive -s,[2][3][4] from Old English heonan (“away, hence”),[2][3] from West Germanic *hin-, also the source of Old Saxon hinan and German hinnen, hin.[2][3][5] It is a formation on the pronoun base of he,[5][6] from Proto-Indo-European *ki- (“this”),[2][3] and is related to here.[3][2] The spelling -ce, from the mid-15th century, shows that the s is unvoiced, as in twice and once.[2][3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Away from here: about 1275 in the OED, about 1225 in King Horn according to Barnhart.[8][3]

Semantic evolution

From this world or life is from about 1315.[8] Of time, from now on, is from about 1380.[8][2] As a command, hence! “go away!”, is from 1573–80.[8] The meaning “for this reason, therefore” is first recorded in 1586.[3][2] Wycliffe (1382) uses hennys & þennys for “on both sides”.[2] Henceforth is from before 1375 and henceforward from about 1300.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1275 – away from here.[8]
  • c. 1315 – from this life.[8]
  • c. 1380 – from now on.[8]
  • 1586 – therefore.[3]

Modern meaning

Adverb

  1. As a result; for this reason; therefore.
  2. From now: a week hence.
  3. (archaic) From here; away.
  4. (archaic) From this life.

Interjection

  1. (archaic) Go away!

Word family

  • henceforth
  • henceforward
  • whence
  • thence
  • here
  • he

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Hence.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/hence. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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