early 13c., whennes, with adverbial genitive -s, from Old English hwanone, related to hwænne (see when). Spelling with -ce (1520s) reflects the voiceless pronunciation.
权威例句
1. No one ordered him back whence he came.
没有人命令过他从哪里来回哪里去。
2. They returned whence they had come.
他们从哪里来又回到哪里去了。
3. All are good lasses, but whence come the bad wives?