whence, whither

whence, whither
These somewhat old-fashioned words contain the idea of "from" or "to." Whence means "from which place" or "from which position." Whither means "to what place, condition, or position." Few occasions arise for the use of either whence or whither, but when one or the other is needed, omit from or to: "Whence have you come?" "Whither are you going?" See also from whence.

Dictionary of problem words and expressions. . 1975.

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  • whither — whence, whither Both words have centuries of history behind them and were once routine in their respective meanings ‘from which place’ and ‘to which place’, but in current use they are regarded as archaic or at least highly formal, although they… …   Modern English usage

  • whence — whence, whither Both words have centuries of history behind them and were once routine in their respective meanings ‘from which place’ and ‘to which place’, but in current use they are regarded as archaic or at least highly formal, although they… …   Modern English usage

  • whither — See whence. See whence, whither …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • whence — See whence, whither …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • Whence — Whence, adv. [OE. whennes, whens (with adverbial s, properly a genitive ending; see { wards}), also whenne, whanene, AS. hwanan, hwanon, hwonan, hwanone; akin to D. when. See {When}, and cf. {Hence}, {Thence}.] [1913 Webster] 1. From what place;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whence — [wens] adv, pron [Date: 1200 1300; : Old English; Origin: whanon from which place ] old use from where ▪ I walked to Rainbagh, whence I could complete the journey by car. →↑whither …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • whence — 1. adverb /ʍɛns,wɛns/ From where; from which place or source. Whence came I? 2. conjunction /ʍɛns,wɛns/ a) From where …   Wiktionary

  • whither — 1. adverb To which place. The wagon jolted on, carrying me I knew not whither. 2. conjunction To which place And with the same grave countenance he hurried through his breakfast and drove to the police station, whither the body had been carried.… …   Wiktionary

  • whither — whith|er [ˈwıðə US ər] adv [: Old English; Origin: hwider] 1.) old use to which place = ↑where ▪ the place whither he went 2.) formal used to ask what the future of something will be or how it will develop ▪ Whither socialism? →↑whence …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • whither — adverb old use 1 a word meaning to which , used when talking about places: the place whither he went 2 a word meaning where 3 formal a word used to ask what the future of something will be or how it will develop: Whither socialism? compare whence …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

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