Whence vs Since - What's the difference?
whence | since |
From where; from which place or source.
* 1818 , (Mary Shelley), , Chapter 4:
* 1898 , , Chapter 3:
*
*
(literary, poetic) (used for introducing the result of a fact that has just been stated)
From a specified time in the past.
From (time).
* {{quote-news, year=2012, date=April 19, author=Josh Halliday, work=the Guardian
, title= * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-29, volume=407, issue=8842, page=29, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= From the time that.
* , section=chapter 6
, title= * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=September-October, author=(Simson Garfinkel)
, magazine=(American Scientist), title= Because.
* {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
, section=chapter 20 (obsolete) When or that.
* (William Shakespeare)
As adverbs the difference between whence and since
is that whence is from where; from which place or source while since is from a specified time in the past.As conjunctions the difference between whence and since
is that whence is used for introducing the result of a fact that has just been statedsince is from the time that.As a preposition since is
from (time).whence
English
Adverb
(-)- Whence came I?
- "Pork" comes from French, whence we get most of our modern cooking terms.
- Whence , I often asked myself, did the principle of life proceed?
- At first I could not tell what this new sound was, nor whence it came, and now it seemed a little noise close by, and now a great noise in the distance. And then it grew nearer and more defined, and in a moment I knew it was the sound of voices talking.
Usage notes
* This word is uncommon in modern usage; from where'' is now usually substituted (as in the example sentence: ''Where did I come from?'' or ''From where did I come? ). It is now chiefly encountered in older works, or in poetic or literary writing. * From whence has a strong literary precedent, appearing in Shakespeare and the King James Bible as well as in the writings of numerous Victorian-era writers. In recent times, however, it has been criticized as redundant by usage commentators.Conjunction
(English Conjunctions)- The work is slow and dangerous, whence the high costs.
- I scored more than you in the exam, whence we can conclude that I am better at the subject than you are.
Antonyms
* (l)since
English
Adverb
(-)Preposition
(English prepositions)Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?, passage="Mujtahidd" has attracted almost 300,000 followers since the end of last year, when he began posting scandalous claims about the Saudi elite. In one tweet, Mujtahidd directly challenged Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Fahd about his political history: "Did you resign or were you forced to resign from your post as head of the diwan [office] of the council of ministers?"}}
Unspontaneous combustion, passage=Since the mid-1980s, when Indonesia first began to clear its bountiful forests on an industrial scale in favour of lucrative palm-oil plantations, “haze” has become an almost annual occurrence in South-East Asia. The cheapest way to clear logged woodland is to burn it, producing an acrid cloud of foul white smoke that, carried by the wind, can cover hundreds, or even thousands, of square miles.}}
Antonyms
* untilConjunction
(English Conjunctions)Mr. Pratt's Patients, passage=He had one hand on the bounce bottle—and he'd never let go of that since he got back to the table—but he had a handkerchief in the other and was swabbing his deadlights with it.}}
Digital Forensics, passage=Since the 1980s, computers have had increasing roles in all aspects of human life—including an involvement in criminal acts. This development has led to the rise of digital forensics, the uncovering and examination of evidence located on all things electronic with digital storage, including computers, cell phones, and networks.}}
citation, passage=The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen.
- Do you remember since we lay all night in the windmill in St. George's field?