Then is used to talk about what comes next in time or order, as in 'First we ate, then we left.' It can also refer to a particular time in the past or future, as in 'by then' or 'since then'.
From Old English *þanne, þænne* 'at that time, then', related to *þan* ('than'). Originally, it covered many time and comparison uses that later split into 'then' and 'than'.
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