hither

American  

[hith-er] / ˈhɪð ər /

adverb

1. to or toward this place.

   to come hither.

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adjective

1. being on this or the closer side; nearer.

   the hither side of the meadow.

idioms

1. hither and thither, in various quarters; here and there.

   They scurried hither and thither to escape the rain.

2. hither and yon, from here to over there, especially to a farther place; in or to a great many places.

   He looked hither and yon for the coin. She went hither and yon in search of an answer.

hither British  

/ ˈhɪðə /

adverb

1. Also (archaic): hitherward.   hitherwards.  to or towards this place (esp in the phrase come hither )

2. this way and that, as in a state of confusion

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adjective

1. archaic (of a side or part, esp of a hill or valley) nearer; closer

Etymology

Origin of hither

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English hider; cognate with Old Norse hethra, Latin citer “on this side”

Explanation

Hither is a fancy or old-fashioned way to say "here." Your grandmother might jokingly call everyone for dinner by saying, "Come hither! Soup's on!" Language experts consider hither to be a "fossil word," one that is still regularly used within various idioms despite being otherwise obsolete. You may find it in the phrases "hither and thither" or "hither and yon," both of which mean "here and there," in the sense of a disorganized or confused movement back and forth. Hither shares a root with its modern relative here.

Example Sentences

Hither comes a happy family, the Wilsons, who have a summer home not far away—a calm and bucolic spot, beside a lake.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 22, 2019

“Come Hither: A Collection of Rhymes and Poems for the Young of All Ages,” edited by Walter de la Mare.

From Washington Post • Feb. 5, 2019

Picnic in the Park General Store offers takeaway and cafe fare near the beach, Hither Hills State Park, 164 Old Montauk Highway.

From New York Times • May 22, 2018

Flowers and balloons in memory of Henry Vincent were repeatedly attached and torn down on Tuesday opposite where the burglary took place in Hither Green.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2018

Hither and thither across their square of illuminated glass the little figures noiselessly darted, like fish in an aquarium—the silent but agitated inhabitants of another world.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley