the.com/then
The hinge every story swings on, the word that turns chaos into sequence.
means At that time, or next in a sequence — the word that places something after a moment already mentioned, whether in time or in logic.
from From Old English 'þanne, þænne,' a cousin of 'that' and 'the' — all springing from the same Germanic demonstrative root that pointed at things and moments. For centuries 'then' and 'than' were the same word, only splitting apart in spelling and sense over time, which is why they still tangle on the tongue: one marks sequence, the other marks comparison, but both descend from that single old gesture of pointing — 'that one, at that time.'
- two meanings
- Means both next-in-time and back-in-time
- old english
- From thanne, sibling of the word the
- logic's spine
- The then in if-then powers all computer code
- common confusion
- Constantly mistaken for than by tired writers