Hance

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The sharp corner or angle formed where two surfaces or planes meet, typically in architecture or stonework
2. An internal or external angle formed by the junction of two adjoining surfaces or faces
3. The corner or edge created at the meeting point of two angled or flat surfaces

Etymology: "Hance" is a variant spelling of "enhance," and it entered English through Anglo-Norman, the form of Old French used in England after the Norman Conquest. Its ancestor is the Old French "haulce," meaning to raise or lift up, which traces back to Latin "altia," the same root that gives English words like "altitude" and "height" in their older forms. The idea at the core is literal elevation. To hance something was to lift it higher, and the sense of raising in value, rank, or degree grew out of that physical meaning. Something hanced was something made loftier, whether in position or reputation. Over time, the spelling shifted toward "enhance," which was influenced by the prefix "en-" and the idea of intensifying a quality. The older form "hance" survives mainly in historical texts, where it shows the word's roots in the vocabulary of rising and lifting.