English
thence
Thence comes from Proto-West Germanic *þananā ‘thence, from there’, and goes back to *þan ‘then’.
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*þan‘then’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*þananā‘thence, from there’reconstructed
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500þenne
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500þennes
- Englishearliest quotation 1535thence
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*þan‘then’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*þananā‘thence, from there’reconstructed
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500þenne
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500þennes
- Englishearliest quotation 1535thence
Earliest quotation: 1535, Myles Coverdale: “And from thence he went agaynſt yͤ inhabiters of…”
Linked words
through Proto-West Germanic *þan ‘then’
Today it means
adv From there, from that place or from that time.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *þan / thence