thence

English

Etymology

From Middle English þennes, from þenne +‎ -es (“adverbial ending”), the former from þanan, þanona, from Proto-West Germanic *þananā. Cognate with Westphalian Low German diëne.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ðɛns/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  Rhymes: -ɛns

Adverb

thence (not comparable)

1. (formal) From there, from that place or from that time.

   I came thence.

   Cross fix at 6000 feet, thence descend to 3000 feet and fly direct to MAP (missed approach point).

   • 1535 October 14 (Gregorian calendar), Myles Coverdale, transl., Biblia: The Byble,  (Coverdale Bible), , →OCLC, Judges j:[3], folio xiij, recto, column 2:

     And from thence he went agaynſt yͤ inhabiters of Debir (but Debir was called Kiriath Sepher afoꝛetyme.)

   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 2:

     Miranda: O the heauens, / What fowle play had we, that we came from thence? / Or bleſſed was't we did?
     Prospero: Both, both my Girle. / By fowle-play (as thou ſayſt) were we heau'd thence, / But bleſſedly holpe hither.

   • 2005, Alpha Chiang and Kevin Wainwright, Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics (4th ed.), McGraw-Hill International, p. 605

     From this we can find the characteristic roots ${\displaystyle b_{1}}$ and ${\displaystyle b_{2}}$ and thence proceed to the remaining steps of the solution process.

2. (literary) Deriving from this fact or circumstance; therefore, therefrom.
3. (archaic) From that time; thenceforth; thereafter

Antonyms

• thither

Derived terms

Related terms

• hence
• whence

Translations

Anagrams

• techne