different between because vs whence

English

Alternative forms

• bycause, becos, 'cause, cos, cuz, coz, 'cos, 'cuz, 'coz, b/c, bc, bcus

Etymology

From Middle English bi cause, from bi (“by”) + cause, modelled on Old French par cause.

Pronunciation

• (stressed)
  • (UK) IPA^(key): /b??k?z/
  • (UK, dated) IPA^(key): /b??k??z/
  • (US) IPA^(key): /bi?k?z/, /bi?k?z/, /b??k?z/
• (unstressed)
  • IPA^(key): /b?k?z/
• Rhymes: -?z
• Hyphenation: be?cause
• Rhymes: -??z

Adverb

because (not comparable)

1. (archaic) For the reason (that).
   • 1611, Authorized King James Version of Genesis 2:3:

     And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

2. On account (of), for sake (of).

3. (by ellipsis) Used alone to refuse to provide a full answer a question begun with "why", usually taken as an anapodoton of the elided full phrase "Because I said so".

Derived terms

• because of
• just because

Translations

Conjunction

because

1. By or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason that.
2. As is known, inferred, or determined from the fact that.

3. (obsolete) So that, in order that. [15th-17th c.]

Synonyms

• (for the reason that): therefore, since, for, for that, forthy, for sake, forwhy (obsolete), as, inasmuch as, sith (obsolete), ? (mathematics symbol); see also Thesaurus:because

Translations

Preposition

because

1. (uncommon, slang, nonstandard, especially Internet) On account of, because of. [since at least the 20th century]

Derived terms

• because reasons

References

• Glossa, volume 17 (1997), page 175: cf. Emonds 1976:175 on the analysis of Modern English because as a preposition introducing a clause

English

Etymology

From Middle English whennes, from Old English hwanone (with adverbial genitive -s), related to hwænne (whence when). Analyzable as when +? -s.

Pronunciation

• enPR: hw?ns, IPA^(key): /??ns/
• (in accents with the wine-whine merger) enPR: w?ns, IPA^(key): /w?ns/
• Rhymes: -?ns

Adverb

whence (not comparable)

1. (archaic, formal or literary) From where; from which place or source.

   Whence came I?

   "Pork" comes from French, whence we get most of our modern cooking terms.

   • 1818, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, Chapter 4:

     Whence, I often asked myself, did the principle of life proceed?

   • 1885, Richard F. Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Night 564:

     […] But when I had bestridden the plank, quoth I to myself, "Thou deserveth all that betideth thee. All this is decreed to me of Allah (whose name be exalted!), to turn me from my greed of gain, whence ariseth all that I endure, for I have wealth galore."

   • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, Chapter 3:

     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 contemporary usage; from where is now usually substituted (as in the example sentence: Where did I come from? or From where did I come?). Whence is now mainly encountered in older works and in poetic or literary writing.
• From whence has a strong literary precedent, appearing in Wyclif's Bible translation, 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.

Antonyms

• whither

Derived terms

Related terms

• hence
• thence

Translations

Conjunction

whence

1. (literary, poetic) Used for introducing the result of a fact that has just been stated.

   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

• whither

Related terms

• hence
• thence

Translations