† hencen.
Obsolete. rare.
1. The afterlife; the hereafter.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [noun] > future world or condition
hereafter1702
futurity1741
future1852
hence1884
the world > the supernatural > deity > heaven > [noun] > reward of > eternal life
another lifeOE
eternity1604
hence1884
1884 B. Nye Baled Hay 26 All-wool delaine that was worn by one who is now in the golden hence.
1884 B. Nye Baled Hay 47 The brave warrior will be marching single file through the corridors of the hence.
2. The future.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [noun]
to-comec1350
the futurec1400
hereafter1546
tocoming1556
aftertime1557
after age1560
after hours1599
futuritya1616
afterwards1669
to-be1819
coming1833
by and by1868
hence1904
1904 F. Lynde Grafters xviii. 233 Now suppose you hint..that more..developments may be safely predicted in the immediate hence.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2019).
hencev.
/hɛns/, U.S. /hɛns/ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > causing to go away > command to go away [verb (transitive)] > send away or dismiss
congeec1330
turnc1330
putc1350
dismitc1384
refusea1387
repel?a1439
avyec1440
avoida1464
depart1484
license1484
to give (a person) his (also her, etc.) leave?a1513
demit1529
dispatcha1533
senda1533
to send a grazing1533
demise1541
dimiss1543
abandon1548
dimit1548
discharge1548
dismiss1548
to turn off1564
aband1574
quit1575
hencea1586
cashier1592
to turn away1602
disband1604
amand1611
absquatulize1829
chassé1847
to send to the pack1912
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1593) i. sig. I1 With that his dogge he henst his flocke he curst.
1640 D. Featley et al. Θρηνοικος xvii. 359 It will seize upon me, and dragge me before the Judgement seat of God, where I shall bee Henced away with a malediction and curse.
1903 Pacific Monthly Mar. 162/2 If looks could have done it, he would have henced the grizzled sea-rat before him to the farthermost realms of obscurity.
2. intransitive. To go hence, to depart.In later use often used with reference to constructions such as I must hence, where the adverb hence following an auxiliary is humorously interpreted as a verb (see hence adv. 3a).
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > go away [verb (intransitive)]
wendeOE
i-wite971
ashakec975
shakeOE
to go awayOE
witea1000
afareOE
agoOE
atwendOE
awayOE
to wend awayOE
awendOE
gangOE
rimeOE
flitc1175
to fare forthc1200
depart?c1225
part?c1225
partc1230
to-partc1275
biwitec1300
atwitea1325
withdrawa1325
to draw awayc1330
passc1330
to turn one's (also the) backc1330
lenda1350
begonec1370
remuea1375
voidc1374
removec1380
to long awaya1382
twinc1386
to pass one's wayc1390
trussc1390
waive1390
to pass out ofa1398
avoida1400
to pass awaya1400
to turn awaya1400
slakec1400
wagc1400
returnc1405
to be gonea1425
muck1429
packc1450
recede1450
roomc1450
to show (a person) the feetc1450
to come offc1475
to take one's licence1475
issue1484
devoidc1485
rebatea1500
walka1500
to go adieua1522
pikea1529
to go one's ways1530
retire?1543
avaunt1549
to make out1558
trudge1562
vade?1570
fly1581
leave1593
wag1594
to get off1595
to go off1600
to put off1600
shog1600
troop1600
to forsake patch1602
exit1607
hence1614
to give offa1616
to take off1657
to move off1692
to cut (also slip) the painter1699
sheera1704
to go about one's business1749
mizzle1772
to move out1792
transit1797–1803
stump it1803
to run away1809
quit1811
to clear off1816
to clear out1816
nash1819
fuff1822
to make (take) tracks (for)1824
mosey1829
slope1830
to tail out1830
to walk one's chalks1835
to take away1838
shove1844
trot1847
fade1848
evacuate1849
shag1851
to get up and get1854
to pull out1855
to cut (the) cable(s)1859
to light out1859
to pick up1872
to sling one's Daniel or hook1873
to sling (also take) one's hook1874
smoke1893
screw1896
shoot1897
voetsak1897
to tootle off1902
to ship out1908
to take a (run-out, walk-out, etc.) powder1909
to push off1918
to bugger off1922
biff1923
to fuck off1929
to hit, split or take the breeze1931
to jack off1931
to piss offa1935
to do a mick1937
to take a walk1937
to head off1941
to take a hike1944
moulder1945
to chuff off1947
to get lost1947
to shoot through1947
skidoo1949
to sod off1950
peel1951
bug1952
split1954
poop1961
mugger1962
frig1965
society > travel > aspects of travel > departure, leaving, or going away > depart, leave, or go away [verb (intransitive)]
to come awayeOE
wendeOE
i-wite971
ashakec975
shakeOE
to go awayOE
witea1000
afareOE
agoOE
awayOE
dealc1000
goOE
awendOE
rimeOE
to go one's wayOE
flitc1175
depart?c1225
partc1230
to-partc1275
atwitea1325
withdrawa1325
to turn one's (also the) backc1330
lenda1350
begonec1370
remuea1375
removec1380
to long awaya1382
twinc1386
to pass one's wayc1390
trussc1390
to turn awaya1400
returnc1405
to be gonea1425
recede1450
roomc1450
to come offc1475
to take one's licence1475
issue1484
walka1500
to go adieua1522
pikea1529
avaunt1549
trudge1562
vade?1570
discoast1571
leave1593
wag1594
to go off1600
troop1600
hence1614
to set on one's foota1616
to pull up one's stumps1647
quit1811
to clear out1816
slope1830
to walk one's chalks1835
shove1844
to roll out1850
to pull out1855
to light out1859
to take a run-out powder1909
to push off (also along)1923
1614 J. Sylvester tr. J. Bertaut Panaretus 54 in Parl. Vertues Royal Heer-with the Angell hence't [Fr. part], & bent his flight Tow'rds Our sad Citie.
1897 Pick-me-up 9 Jan. 231/1 [She] then says, ‘I must hence.’ At the same time, she doesn't hence any; and I can't help thinking that if she had henced directly the notion came to her, a lot of trouble would have been saved.
1922 E. H. Abbott Fairy Prince & Other Stories 78 Carol went hence. He henced as far as the Mulberry Tree on the front lawn.
2005 Independent on Sunday (Nexis) 2 May 40 ‘No, no..you mustn't be hencing,’ he said, when Mel made a move to go. I must hence..but I shall be thithering for more.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
henceadv.
/hɛns/, U.S. /hɛns/ I. With reference to place.
1. With reference to death and the afterlife: from this world, from this life; in the next world.Also with preceding redundant from (see note at sense 2c).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > [adverb] > towards death
hencea1225
to (one's) deathwarda1398
hynea1400
at death's door1515
home1561
deathward1646
deathwards1727
dustward1847
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adverb] > in the future or next world
hencea1225
hereafter1618
a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Digby) cxci, in Anglia (1878) 1 32 Þet we moten þider cumen, þanne we hennes wende.
c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 80 Þat no fend ous ne schende, Nou, ne wanne the tyme comþe Þet we scholle hennes wende.
c1450 Lay Folks Mass Bk. (Newnh.) (1879) l. 121 And for the soules that hennes be past.
1583 P. Stubbes Second Pt. Anat. Abuses sig. M2 When God shall call them hence to himselfe.
1611 Bible (King James) Psalms xxxix. 13 Before I goe hence, and be no more. View more context for this quotation
a1732 T. Boston View this & Other World (1775) 168 Hence is Abraham's bosom.
1871 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues I. 415 They go from hence into the other world.
2001 Times 28 July (Weekend section) 2/5 The least one can do for a complete stranger is to avoid making a scene at his passing hence.
2. gen.
a. With reference to movement or extent: from here, from this (or that) place. Now somewhat archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > [adverb] > away from some thing or place > from this place
heneOE
hethenc1175
hethenwardc1175
hethenforthc1200
henwardc1225
hencec1300
hynea1400
hynewarda1400
hencefrom1596
herefrom1596
here-hence1669
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > [adverb] > from this place
heneOE
hethenc1175
hethenwardc1175
henwardc1230
hencec1300
hynea1400
c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1963) l. 792 Hare we hinnes [c1275 Calig. heonne] wende.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Gen. xlii. 15 Ȝe schullen not gone hense: to þe tyme þat ȝour leste broþer comme.
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1977) 944 Loke ȝe bowe now bi bot, boweȝ fast hence.
a1450 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Lamb.) (1887) l. 16562 To Cornewaille þey fledden hennes.
1559 W. Baldwin et al. Myrroure for Magistrates Suffolk f. xliv In wit and learning matcheles hence to Grece.
1568 A. Scott Poems (1896) xx. 57 Thairfoir go hens in haist.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) i. ii. 60 How churlishly, I chid Lucetta hence . View more context for this quotation
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 214 Hence our journey led vs homewards in fiue dayes sayle.
1808 W. Scott Marmion vi. xxiii. 350 Hence might they see the full array Of either host.
1867 R. Capper Judith v. i. 46 For that reason we have sent her hence—Our holy convent walls must not be contaminated By containing the bodies of the damned.
2009 Times 24 Oct. (Saturday Review) 3/1 Americans pay for their coming hither and their going hence—costly entrances, truly exorbitant exits.
b. With reference to position: at a specified distance from here; away. Now somewhat archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > absence > [adverb] > away from some recognized place
outeOE
thencec1290
thenne1297
hencec1300
forth14..
afield1483
offward1582
therehence1611
c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) l. 1133 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 139 He wende to seint botulf, þat was heonnes ouer ten mile.
a1425 (c1300) Assumption of Virgin (BL Add.) (1901) l. 328 I was fer hens atte my prechinge.
1474 in C. L. Kingsford Stonor Lett. & Papers (1919) I. 149 (MED) Ye be longe hense.
1560 J. Heywood Fourth Hundred Epygrams ii. sig. Aiv Ye haue..taryde longe hence.
1595 E. Spenser Colin Clouts come Home Againe sig. A3v Whilest thou wast hence.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iv. iii. 80 I haue a Kinsman not past three quarters of a mile hence . View more context for this quotation
1814 Star 4 May Jerome slept at Luzy, a small town in the Nivornaise, seven leagues hence.
1843 Christian Advocate & Jrnl. 25 Oct. 44/1 This blessed thought my care beguiles, Or here, or hence a thousand miles—My God is there!
2003 Weekend Financial Times 4 Oct. (Weekend section) 2/5 I found ice at a supermarket a few miles hence.
c. With preceding redundant from (also †fro): from here, from this (or that) place. Now rare and archaic.Uses of hence following a redundant from are found in most senses of the word and this construction was formerly frequent. Uses without from are now far more common.
ΚΠ
c1330 Seven Sages (Auch.) (1933) l. 1954 Bi blod and bones Haue ich to niȝt imet ones, I schal þe finde tresor..Is no richer fram hennes to helle.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 1264 Þi gate Fro hennes to paradis ȝate.
1477 W. Caxton in Earl Rivers tr. Dictes or Sayengis Philosophhres (1877) lf. 73v Socrates was..boren in a ferre Contre from hens.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke iv. f. lxxix Cast thy silfe doune from hens.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II iii. iii. 6 Richard not farre from hence hath hid his head. View more context for this quotation
1718 J. Addison Remarks Italy (ed. 2) 4 We sailed from hence directly for Genoa.
1792 T. Jefferson Writings (1859) III. 489 It being impossible to prescribe them from hence.
1819 W. Irving Royal Poet in Sketch Bk. iii. 177 From hence a staircase conducts to a suite of apartments of faded magnificence.
1838 T. Raikes Jrnl. 25 Apr. (1858) II. 92 The coronation of our Queen is fixed for June: there will be no extraordinary ambassador sent from hence.
1951 Illawarra (New S. Wales) Daily Mercury 25 Sept. 1/2 You, Gal, Gach, and Kerekes, shall be taken from hence to the place from whence you came and on a day..shall be taken to the place of execution and there hanged by the necks until you are dead.
3. † b. hence with —— !: used to express a desire that the specified person or thing should go away or be gone. Obsolete.
a. In elliptical use, with an implied verb expressing motion or departure, esp. after an auxiliary or with imperative force. Now archaic and rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > causing to go away > command to go away [interjection]
begonec1370
hencec1390
avauntc1485
vaunt1598
off1717
twenty-three1930
c1390 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 141 Þou maiȝt not longe endure; And nedes dye, hennes þou mote.
a1475 (?a1350) Seege Troye (Harl.) (1927) l. 413 (MED) And if þou þynkest hens on lyfe [a1400 Egerton to passe alyue], Trusse þe out of þis lond blyve.
?a1525 (?a1475) Play Sacrament l. 645 in N. Davis Non-Cycle Plays & Fragm. (1970) 78 Hens fast, lest þat ye be chastysed.
1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis ii. 41 Let vs hence.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. ii. 477 Hence: hang not on my garments. View more context for this quotation
1769 T. Gray Ode at Installation Duke of Grafton 12 Hence, away, 'tis holy ground!
1884 Ld. Tennyson Becket ii. ii. 100 I must hence to brave The Pope, King Louis, and this turbulent priest.
1960 C. Salvesen Bronzes in Times Lit. Suppl. 26 Aug. 547/2 Hence, you brazen sense of now, Avaunt, unprayed for present tense.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > aspects of travel > departure, leaving, or going away > [phrase] > exhortation to depart or go away
begonec1370
hence with —— !1534
via1600
show your shapes1699
walk your bodyc1730
run along (with you)!1803
to jump (or go (and) jump) in the lake1912
imshi1916
1534 J. Fewterer tr. U. Pinder Myrrour Christes Passion vi. f. lv On good frydaye they cryed: Tolle tolle crucifige eum. Away with hym, hence with hym, crucifie hym.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) ii. iii. 68 Hence with her, out o'dore. View more context for this quotation
1638 J. Milton Lycidas in Obsequies 20 in Justa Edouardo King Hence with deniall vain, and coy excuse.
1855 R. Browning Grammarian's Funeral 112 Hence with life's pale lure!
1915 J. S. De Benneville Tales Samurai xvii. 292 Hence with you! Away with your foul embraces smelling of the mould!
II. With reference to time.† 4. To or at a specified time in the past, as reckoned from now; since, ago. Obsolete.Also with preceding redundant from (see note at sense 2c).
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the past > [adverb] > ago
agoc1350
sitha1375
hencea1382
sithena1400
agone1420
sin1490
sithence1537
since1555
syne1573
ygo1579
aback1768
back1797
pass1971
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Gen. xxxi. 2 He toke hede to þe face of laban, þat it was not towards hym: as ȝisterday & þe þrid day hens.
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. vi. l. 35 W[h]anne ich ȝong was..meny ȝer hennes.
a1500 (?c1450) Merlin xxxiii. 665 (MED) Hit be-fill at the assencion, hens a-foure yere, that a fissher..com to the lak de losane.
1610 Bp. J. Hall Common Apol. against Brownists xiii. 34 But you leape backe..from hence to the Apostles times.
5. From this (or that) time forth; from now onwards; henceforth. Now archaic.Also with preceding redundant from (or †fro) (see note at sense 2c).
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adverb] > from now or henceforth
fortha700
heneOE
henforthOE
forwardOE
anovenOE
yetOE
downwardc1175
forthwardc1175
furthermorea1300
henforthwardc1300
forne14..
henceforwardc1330
henforwardc1330
hencefortha1375
henceforthwardc1384
hencec1390
furtherwarda1400
forwardsc1400
hyneforwardc1400
henceforwardsa1425
even-forthc1425
forth on1474
henceforthon1490
hynea1500
froforth1536
hyneforth1570
downwards1584
towards1587
here-hence1592
whenceforth1658
whenceforwarda1661
onward1667
onwards1732
from here on out1867
as of now1902
c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. iii. l. 104 Hennes [c1400 Trin. Cambr. R.3.14 Henis] to þi deþ day, do so no more.
a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) II. 17 (MED) From hens bigan Jesus to preche.
c1450 (c1380) G. Chaucer House of Fame (Fairf. 16) (1878) l. 1284 Fro hennes in to domes day.
1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost v. ii. 808 Hence herrite then my hart, is in thy brest. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) iii. iii. 384 From hence, I'le loue no friend, since loue breedes such offence. View more context for this quotation
1633 P. Fletcher Purple Island xii. lxxxviii. 180 Hence mayst thou freely play.
1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna ix. xvi. 201 That the rule of men was over now, And hence, the subject world to woman's will must bow.
1991 V. Skord tr. Tales Tears & Laughter 90 ‘From this day hence, you are master of half the domain,’ he announced, offering a toast.
6. At a specified time from now; at some point in the future.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adverb] > from now or henceforth > (at some time in the future) from now
hencec1425
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iii. l. 3923 (MED) I seie þe pleinly, hens or two ȝere, Ȝif I may live..I hope, in soth, so mortally to greue þe Grekis, [etc.].
?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 358 (MED) The thrydde day hens ye schul ben expirand.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) iii. i. 123 Ile meet you at that place some houre hence . View more context for this quotation
a1735 J. Arbuthnot Hist. John Bull (1988) V. Pref. 93 Let not posterity a thousand years hence look for truth in the voluminous annals of pedants.
1885 Manch. Examiner 12 Oct. 5/1 We have to..think of what our position will be five years hence.
1961 H. Trevor-Roper Let. 8 Apr. in One Hundred Lett. (2014) xxiv. 96 I have sent a S.O.S. to the Birkenheads for relief, but the service here is such that I fear it may never reach them. In which case archaeologists far hence will discover my skeleton in room 208 of the King David Hotel.
2018 H. Strachan in New Direct. Strategic Thinking 2.0: ANU Strategic & Defence Centre's Golden Anniv. Conf. Proc. xii. 153 It begins..not with the present but with some point 30 or 40 years hence.
III. With reference to result, consequence, or issue.
7. As a result of this; consequently; for this reason.Also with preceding redundant from (see note at sense 2c).Now the most common sense.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > effect, result, or consequence > [adverb]
soothlyc825
welleOE
then971
alsoOE
thusc1175
followinglya1382
suinglya1382
hereuponc1385
effectuallya1398
thereforea1400
therewithc1450
pursuantly1530
consequently?1531
thereupon1534
hence?1535
accordingly1555
presently1580
by consequence1581
hereat1586
eventually1614
porismatically1646
consequentially1656
resultatively1657
pursuant1659
consecutivelya1691
in consequence1775
resultingly1840
propter hoc1844
resultantly1864
?1535 tr. M. Luther Treat. Good Workes sig. o.iiv For euery man must be ruled of other men, and be vnder them. Wherfore we se here also, howe many good workes is taught in this commaundement, in as moch as all our lyfe is subiect vnto other men. Hense [Ger. daher] it commeth, that obedyence is so greatly praysed, and that it comprehendeth all vertues and good workes in it.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 62 Hence it is, saith R. Moses, that the Law of Moses forbiddeth these rites.
1725 W. Broome in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey III. xii. 252 Learn courage hence!
1771 O. Goldsmith Hist. Eng. II. 280 From hence he has been accused, by historians, of avarice.
1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan 46 You have fallen out, and hence your thoughts are sad.
1989 B. F. Dick Radical Innocence (2009) i. 12 After two years at City College he knew that his commitment to the underprivileged would not be realized by sitting in a classroom. Hence he became a social worker.
2016 Balik Bayan Apr. 78/1 The grass-covered hills dry up and turn chocolate brown during the dry season hence the name ‘Chocolate Hills’.
8. From this source or origin. Now rare.Also with preceding redundant from (see note at sense 2c).
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > source or origin > [adverb] > from which source or origin
whennec888
thennec897
hereofc1200
whereof?c1225
thereofc1230
wherehenc1475
thereoutc1480
there-whynec1485
here-hence1526
therehence1528
hereout1541
hence1551
whereout1569
herefrom1594
hencefrom1596
thence1652
1551 T. Wilson Rule of Reason sig. K.v Argumentes deriued from hence haue great force.
1609 W. Shakespeare Louers Complaint in Sonnets sig. K3 Controuersie hence a question takes, Whether the horse by him became his deed, Or he his mannad'g by'th wel doing Steed.
a1642 J. Suckling Poems 11 in Fragmenta Aurea (1646) My Flora was my Sun..All other faces borrowed hence Their light and grace.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vii. 366 Hence [sc. from the sun] the Morning Planet guilds his horns. View more context for this quotation
1958 Times 5 Dec. 16/4 The chief single source of enrichment is the Swedish–Finnish collection, Piae Cantiones... Hence came ‘Good King Wenceslas’, though not in that guise but as ‘Tempus adest floridum’.
9. By inference from these premises or data; as a conclusion.Also with preceding redundant from (see note at sense 2c).
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > cause or reason > [adverb]
thyeOE
therebyc897
theOE
thereforec1175
soa1200
hereforc1200
for that sakea1375
ipso facto1548
hence1571
argal1604
eo ipso1696
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > debate, disputation, argument > putting forward for discussion > [adverb] > for a reason
heneOE
hence1571
1571 T. Fortescue tr. P. Mexia Foreste i. ii. f. 5 Hence then conclude wee by this authoritie, certaine, that the nine hundred and thirtie yeeres whiche Adam liued..were sutch, as were the hundred three scoare and fiuetiene of Abraham.
1586 G. Pettie & B. Yong tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. (rev. ed.) iv. f. 226 From hence, saide Lord John, we may know, that if [etc.].
1660 tr. I. Barrow Euclide's Elements i. 27 Hence, All right-lined figures of the same species have the sums of their angles equall.
1695 Enq. Anc. Const. Eng. 77 I grant it; but what do you infer from hence?
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth III. 253 From hence, therefore, we may conclude, that the size in these animals is not sufficient to make a distinction among them.
1840 D. Lardner Treat. Geom. 210 Hence, the surface of the entire sphere is equal to the surface of the entire cylinder.
2003 P. Smith Introd. Formal Logic 241 All electrons are leptons; all leptons have half-integral spin; hence all electrons have half-integral spin.
Phrases
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > unspirituality > [adjective]
worldlyOE
dryc1175
fleshlyc1175
of the world?c1225
secularc1290
timely1340
of hencec1384
uttermore1395
worldisha1400
profane1474
humanc1475
mundanec1475
mundial1499
carnal?1510
seculary1520
unghostly1526
worldly-minded1528
sensual1529
earthly-minded1535
civil1536
subcelestial1561
worldly-witted1563
secular-minded1597
ghostlessa1603
lay1609
mundal1614
non-ecclesiastical1630
unspiritual1643
wilderness1651
worldly-handed1657
outward1674
timesome1674
apsychical1678
secularized1683
hylastic1684
choical1708
Sadducee1746
gay1798
unspiritualized1816
secularizing1825
unreligious1832
secularistic1862
apneumatic1864
Sadduceeic1875
this-worldly1883
this world1889
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) John xviii. 36 My kyngdom is not of this world; if my kyngdom were of this world, sothly my mynystris schulden stryue, that I schulde not be takun to the Jewis; now forsothe my kyngdom is not of hennis [1526 Tyndale from hence].
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c1426 J. Audelay Poems (1931) 11 Hit schal be ponyschid here ore hennus euere trespasse.
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iii. ii. 211 Both heere and hence pursue me lasting strife, If once I be a widdow, euer I be a wife. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) iv. ii. 89 This must be answer'd either heere, or hence . View more context for this quotation
1851 D. Bain Use of Protection 3 Here, or hence, no matter where, the only real nourisher of people is the produce of the soil.
1917 Bookman Dec. 247 There is no wind can mark his place Here, or hence.
Compounds
a. Prefixed to nouns of motion to form nouns with the sense ‘—— from here’, as hence-departure, hence-going, etc. Obsolete.
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c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xiv. l. 165 Now, lorde, sende hem..some manere ioye, Heuene after her hennes goynge.
?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 31 (MED) Þat all ȝour here levyng may be to his plesyng, and at ȝour hens partyng to com to good place.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) iii. ii. 64 From our hence-going, And our returne. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) i. ii. 450 My people did expect my hence departure Two dayes agoe. View more context for this quotation
1909 E. Pound Personae 47 Grown old with many a hither-coming and hence-going.
b. Prefixed to past participles to form adjectives with the sense ‘—— from here’, as hence-brought, hence-got, etc. Obsolete.
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1602 W. Warner Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) xiii. lxxix. 327 Much haue we done, hence-outed.
1610 J. Healey tr. St. Augustine Citie of God iii. xv. 127 Euen building the Capitoll vp, with hence-got spoiles.
a1649 W. Drummond Poems (1656) 151 That Rhein with hence-brought Beames his bosome warmes.
C2. † hence-meant adj. Obsolete rare planned from this place.
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the mind > will > intention > planning > [adjective] > planned > from this place
hence-meant1589
1589 W. Warner Albions Eng. (new ed.) vi. xxxiii. 144 As if by myracle preseru'd by Forraines long From hence-ment Treasons.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2019; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.1884v.a1586
adv.a1225