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Webster 1913 Edition


Since

Since

(sĭns)
,
adv.
[For
sins
, contr. fr. OE.
sithens
,
sithenes
, formed by an adverbial ending (cf.
Besides
) from OE.
sithen
, also shortened into
sithe
,
sin
, AS.
siððan
,
syððan
,
seoððan
, afterward, then, since, after; properly, after that; fr.
sīð
after, later, adv. and prep. (originally a comparative adv., akin to OS.
sīð
afterward, since, OHG.
sīd
, G.
seit
since, Goth.
seiþus
late, ni þana
seiþs
no longer) +
ðon
instrumental of the demonstrative and article. See
That
.]
1.
From a definite past time until now;
as, he went a month ago, and I have not seen him
since
.
We
since
become the slaves to one man’s lust.
B. Jonson.
2.
In the time past, counting backward from the present; before this or now; ago.
How many ages
since
has Virgil writ?
Roscommon.
About two years
since
, it so fell out, that he was brought to a great lady's house.
Sir P. Sidney.
3.
When or that.
[Obs.]
Do you remember
since
we lay all night in the windmill in St. George's field?
Shakespeare

Since

,
p
rep.
From the time of; in or during the time subsequent to; subsequently to; after; – usually with a past event or time for the object.
The Lord hath blessed thee,
since
my coming.
Gen. xxx. 30.
I have a model by which he build a nobler poem than any extant
since
the ancients.
Dryden.

Since

,
c
onj.
Seeing that; because; considering; – formerly followed by that.
Since
that my penitence comes after all,
Imploring pardon.
Shakespeare
Since
truth and constancy are vain,
Since
neither love, nor sense of pain,
Nor force of reason, can persuade,
Then let example be obeyed.
Granville.
Syn. – Because; for; as; inasmuch as; considering. See
Because
.

Webster 1828 Edition


Since

SINCE

,prep or adv.
1.
After; from the time that. The proper signification of since is after, and its appropriate sense includes the whole period between an event and the present time. I have not seen my brother since January. The Lord hath blessed thee, since my coming. Gen. 30. Holy prophets, who have been since the world began. Luke l. John 9. Since then denotes, during the whole time after an event; or at any particular time during that period.
2.
Ago; past; before this. 'About two years since, an event happened,' that is, two years having passed.
3.
Because that; this being the fact that. Since truth and constancy are vain, since neither love nor sese of pain nor force of reason can persuade, then let example be obey'd. Since, when it precedes a noun, is called a preposition, but when it precedes sentence it is called an adverb. The truth is, the character of the word is the same in both cases. It is probably an obsolete participle, and according to the usual classification of words, may be properly ranked with the prepositions. In strictness, the last clause of the passage above cited is the case absolute. 'The Lord hath blessed the, since my coming,' that is, my arrival being past. So, since the world began, is strictly past the world began, the beginning of the world being past. In the first case, since considered as a preposition, has coming, a noun, for its object, and in the latter case, the clause of a sentence. So we say, against your arrival, or against you come.

Definition 2024


since

since

English

Alternative forms

Adverb

since (not comparable)

  1. From a specified time in the past.
    I had seen him previously, but hadn't seen him since.

Translations

Preposition

since

  1. From: referring to a period of time ending in the present and defining it by the point in time at which it started, or or the period in which its starting point occurred.
    1. Continuously during that period of time.
      I have known her since last year.
      • 2013 June 29, Unspontaneous combustion”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 29:
        Since the mid-1980s, when Indonesia first began to clear its bountiful forests on an industrial scale in favour of lucrative palm-oil plantations, “haze” has become an almost annual occurrence in South-East Asia. The cheapest way to clear logged woodland is to burn it, producing an acrid cloud of foul white smoke that, carried by the wind, can cover hundreds, or even thousands, of square miles.
    2. At certain points during that period of time.
      • 2012 April 19, Josh Halliday, Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?”, in the Guardian:
        "Mujtahidd" has attracted almost 300,000 followers since the end of last year, when he began posting scandalous claims about the Saudi elite. In one tweet, Mujtahidd directly challenged Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Fahd about his political history: "Did you resign or were you forced to resign from your post as head of the diwan [office] of the council of ministers?"
Antonyms

Translations

Conjunction

since

  1. From the time that.
    • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter 6:
      He had one hand on the bounce bottle—and he'd never let go of that since he got back to the table—but he had a handkerchief in the other and was swabbing his deadlights with it.
    • 2013 September-October, Simson Garfinkel, Digital Forensics”, in American Scientist:
      Since the 1980s, computers have had increasing roles in all aspects of human life—including an involvement in criminal acts. This development has led to the rise of digital forensics, the uncovering and examination of evidence located on all things electronic with digital storage, including computers, cell phones, and networks.
    I have loved you since I first met you.
  2. Because.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, The China Governess, chapter 20:
      The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen. [] The second note, the high alarum, not so familiar and always important since it indicates the paramount sin in Man's private calendar, took most of them by surprise although they had been well prepared.
    Since you didn't call, we left without you.
  3. (obsolete) When or that.
    • William Shakespeare
      Do you remember since we lay all night in the windmill in St. George's field?

Translations

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: word · light · felt · #249: since · use · used · began

Anagrams


Lojban

Etymology

In Lojbanized spelling.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈsinʃe/

Gismu

since

  1. snake; x1 is a snake/serpent of species/breed x2.

Related terms