hither

[ hith -er ]

/ ˈhɪð ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hither ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

to or toward this place: to come hither.

adjective

being on this or the closer side; nearer: the hither side of the meadow.

RELATED WORDS

here, close, toward

Nearby words

Idioms

hither and thither, in various quarters; here and there: They scurried hither and thither to escape the rain.

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.

Origin of hither

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

Can be confusedhence hither thence thither whence whither yon (see usage note at whence)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hither

Hither he directed his course; flew over the tents and flocks, and saw everything.
Sketches of Central Asia (1868)|Arminius Vmbry
It is for this reason that Sumukha, wishing this man's good, told him to bring us hither.
The Gtakaml|rya Sra
Hither comes any one breathing a sentiment of progress, any daring to dissent against dissent, against progress itself.
Concord Days|A. Bronson Alcott
The captain of the Lucia had been dispatched to bring us hither, there to wait further orders.
Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara, Volume III|Karl Ritter von Scherzer

Hither Morgan marched in all haste, crossing the stream on the 2d and 3d of February, and at once securing all boats.
Historical Tales, Vol. 2 (of 15)|Charles Morris

British Dictionary definitions for hither

hither

/ (ˈhɪðə) /

adverb

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

hither and thither this way and that, as in a state of confusion

adjective

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

Word Origin for hither

Old English hider; related to Old Norse hethra here, Gothic hidrē, Latin citrā on this side, citrō

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hither

hither

adv.

Old English hider, from Proto-Germanic *hideran (cf. Old Norse heðra "here," Gothic hidre "hither"), from Germanic demonstrative base *hi- (cf. he, here). Spelling change from -d- to -th- is the same evolution seen in father. Relation to here is the same as that of thither to there.