# hence
## English
### Etymology

A later Middle English spelling, retaining the voiceless -s, of hennes (henne + adverbial genitive ending -s), from Old English heonan (“away", "hence”), from a Proto-West Germanic *hin-, from Proto-Germanic *hiz, and Proto-Germanic *-anē.
Cognate with Old Saxon hinan, Old High German hinnan (German hinnen), Dutch heen, Swedish hän. Related to Old English her (“here”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈhɛns/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛns

### Adverb

hence (not comparable)
* (archaic) From here, from this place, away.
    Synonym: herefrom
    I'm going hence, because you have insulted me.
    Get thee hence, Satan!
** c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], page 272, column 1:O Gertrude, come away: / The sun no ſooner ſhall the Mountaines touch, / But we will ſhip him hence,
** 1849, Arthur Hugh Clough, Easter Day (Naples, 1849):Ye men of Galilee! / Why stand ye looking up to heaven, where Him ye ne’er may see, / Neither ascending hence, nor returning hither again?
** 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:`Now leave me,' she said, `and sleep if ye may. I must watch and think, for to-morrow night we go hence, and the time is long since I trod the path that we must follow.'
* (archaic, figuratively) From the living or from this world.
    After a long battle, my poor daughter was taken hence.
* (of a length of time) In the future from now.
    A year hence it will be forgotten.
** 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:[…] And now farewell / Till half an hour hence.
* (conjunctive) As a result; therefore, for this reason.
    Synonym: consequently
    I shall go to Japan and hence will not be here in time for the party.
    The purse is handmade and hence very expensive.
** 1910, Sun Tzu, Lionel Giles (translator), The Art of War, Section VI: Weak Points and Strong, 8:
    Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.
** 1910, [1513], Niccolò Machiavelli, chapter VI, in Ninian Hill Thomson, transl., The Prince:Hence it comes that all armed Prophets have been victorious, and all unarmed Prophets have been destroyed.
** 1731 May 27, Benjamin Franklin, “Apology for Printers”, in The Pennsylvania Gazette:That hence arises the peculiar Unhappiness of that Business, which other Callings are no way liable to;

#### Antonyms

* hither

#### Derived terms

* henceforth
* henceforward

#### Related terms

* whence
* thence

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Interjection

hence
* (obsolete) Go away! Begone!
** 1604 (date written), Iohn Marston [i.e., John Marston], Parasitaster, or The Fawne, […], London: […] T[homas] P[urfoot] for W[illiam] C[otton], published 1606, →OCLC, Act IV, scene i:Zuc[cone]. Hence auant I will marie a woman with no wombe, a creature with two noſes, a wench with no haire rather then remarie thee, […]
** 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 6, column 1:Mira[nda]. Beſeech you Father. Proſ[pero]. Hence: hang not on my garments.

### Verb

hence (third-person singular simple present hences, present participle hencing, simple past and past participle henced)
* (obsolete, transitive) To utter "hence!" to; to send away.
* (dated, intransitive) To depart; to go away.

### Anagrams

* Neche