What does "whence" mean?
Whence: Whence and what art thou Milton.
Additional senses
- 2.From what or which place, source, material, cause, etc.; the place, source, etc., from which; -- used relatively. Grateful to acknowledge whence his good Descends. Milton. Note: All the words of this class, whence, where, whither, whereabouts, etc., are occasionally used as pronouns by a harsh construction. O, how unlike the place from whence they fell Milton. Note: From whence, though a pleonasm, is fully authorized by the use of good writers. From whence come wars and fightings among you James iv.
- 3.Of whence, also a pleonasm, has become obsolete.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
- Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/answers/what-does-whence-mean
- Steward: Jason Burns
- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00