the lawless society whence the ballads sprang DeLancey Ferguson
b
: by reason of which fact
nothing broke—whence I infer that my bones are not yet chalky O. W. Holmes †1935
Phrases
from whence
: from what place, source, or cause
no one could tell me from whence the gold had come Graham Greene
Example Sentences
Adverb They returned to the land whence they came.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
In the season 4 finale of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, the titular super-screwups publicly defeated the demon Neron, thus erasing the dystopian future from whence cynical hacktivist Zari (Tala Ashe) initially came. Chancellor Agard, EW.com, 22 Jan. 2020
Word History
Etymology
Adverb
Middle English whennes, from whenne whence (from Old English hwanon) + -s, adverb suffix, from -s, genitive singular ending; akin to Old High German hwanān whence, Old English hwā who