Why vs Whence - What's the difference?
why | whence |
For what cause, reason, or purpose.
#
#
#
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= reason
An exclamation used to express indignation, mild surprise, or impatience. "Well, I'll tell you...".
* Daniel Defoe
(UK, dialect) A young heifer.
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)
As adverbs the difference between why and whence
is that why is for what cause, reason, or purpose while whence is from where; from which place or source.As a noun why
is reason or why can be (uk|dialect) a young heifer.As an interjection why
is an exclamation used to express indignation, mild surprise, or impatience "well, i'll tell you".As a conjunction whence is
(literary|poetic) (used for introducing the result of a fact that has just been stated).why
English
(wikipedia why)Etymology 1
From (etyl), from (etyl) . See (l).Adverb
(-)- Why is the sky blue?
- Why did you do that?
- I don’t know why he did that
- Tell me why the moon changes phase.
- Why spend money on something you already get for free?
- Why not tell him how you feel?
- Why''' him? '''Why not someone taller?
Welcome to the plastisphere, passage=Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field.}}
Synonyms
* how come, whereforeNoun
(en noun)- A good article will cover the who, the what, the when, the where, the why and the how .
Synonyms
* whereforeInterjection
(en interjection)- “Why , child, I tell thee if I was thy mother I would not disown thee; don't you see I am as kind to you as if I was your mother?”
Derived terms
* whyever * why in God's name * why not * why on Earth * whys and wherefores * why the Devil * why the dickens * why the fuckEtymology 2
Noun
(whies)- (Grose)
Statistics
*External links
* *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.