different between whence vs once

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

English

Etymology

From Middle English ones (genitive of on (“one”) used adverbally), from Old English ?nes (“of one”), genitive of ?n (“one”). Compare Old Saxon ?nes (“once”), Old High German ein?st (“once”) (German einst). More at one (including regarding the development of the pronunciation) and -s.

Pronunciation

• enPR: w?n(t)s, IPA^(key): /w?n(t)s/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /w?n(t)s/, /w?n(t)s/
• (US) IPA^(key): /w?n(t)s/
• Rhymes: -?ns

Adverb

once (not comparable)

1. (frequency) One and only one time.

2. (temporal location) Formerly; during some period in the past.
3. (mathematics) Multiplied by one: indicating that a number is multiplied by one.

4. (obsolete) at any time; ever;

   • The wisdom of God thought fit to acquaint David with that court which we shall once govern.

   If the facts once became known, we'd be in trouble.

Synonyms

• (one time): See Thesaurus:once
• (formerly): See Thesaurus:formerly

Coordinate terms

• (one time): twice, thrice, often, never, seldom
• (formerly): yesterday, tomorrow

Derived terms

• Christmas comes but once a year
• once-in-a-lifetime

Translations

See also

• at once
• once again, once more
• once and for all
• once in a blue moon
• once in a while
• once removed
• once upon a time

Conjunction

once

1. As soon as; when; after.

   We'll get a move on once we find the damn car keys!

   Once you have obtained the elven bow, return to the troll bridge and trade it for the sleeping potion.

   Once he is married, he will be able to claim the inheritance.

Translations

Anagrams

• Coen, Cone, Econ., Noce, ceno-, coen-, cone, cœn-, econ, econ.

Aragonese

Alternative forms

• onze

Etymology

From Latin ?ndecim.

Numeral

once

1. eleven

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin ?ndecim.

Numeral

once (indeclinable)

1. eleven

Derived terms

• oncenu

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??s/

Etymology 1

From Latin uncia.

Noun

once f (plural onces)

1. ounce (avoirdupois ounce)
2. (figuratively, by extension) a little bit

Etymology 2

From Old French lonce which became l'once (la + once), itself from Vulgar Latin *luncea, from Latin lynx, ultimately from Ancient Greek ???? (lúnx), or possibly borrowed from Italian lonza.

Noun

once f (plural onces)

1. snow leopard

Anagrams

• cône, noce

Further reading

• “once” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin uncia.

Noun

once f (plural oncis)

1. ounce

Galician

Etymology

From Old Portuguese onze, from Latin ?ndecim.

Pronunciation

Numeral

once (indeclinable)

1. eleven

Italian

Noun

once f

1. plural of oncia

Anagrams

• ceno, cenò, noce

Middle English

Adverb

once

1. Alternative form of ones

Spanish

Alternative forms

• onze (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /?on?e/, [?õn?.?e]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America) /?onse/, [?õn.se]

Etymology 1

From Old Spanish onze, ondze, from Latin ?ndecim.

Numeral

once

1. eleven

Derived terms

• onceno

Descendants

• ? Cebuano: onse
• ? Tagalog: onse

Etymology 2

Snacks were typically taken at 11 am.

Noun

once f (plural onces)

1. (Latin America) elevenses, snack (bread with tea or coffee)

Further reading

• “once” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.