thither

American  

[thith-er, thith-] / ˈθɪð ər, ˈðɪð- /

adverb

1. Also thitherward thitherwards. to or toward that place or point; there.

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adjective

1. on the farther or other side or in the direction away from the person speaking; farther; more remote.

thither British  

/ ˈðɪðə, ˈðɪðəwəd /

adverb

1. obsolete to or towards that place; in that direction

   the flowers and music which attract people thither

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thither Idioms  

1. see hither and thither.

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Etymology

Origin of thither

First recorded before 900; Middle English, variant of Middle English thider, Old English, alteration of thæder(i) ( i from hider hither ); akin to Old Norse thathra “there,” Gothic thathro “thence,” Sanskrit tátra “there, thither”

Explanation

Use the word thither when you need a colorful way to say "over there." For example, you might point across the street and say, "Let's go thither, to the ice cream shop." It's too bad this adverb has fallen from fashion because it is so much fun (for native speakers, anyway) to pronounce. Thither means, in essence, "to that place," although these days its territory is pretty much taken over by there, just as its companions hither and whither have been replaced by here and where. The original version of thither was the Germanic thæder, and it's related to other th words like that and the.

Example Sentences

For years, as an early-warning alert system, the county agricultural people had been hanging Medfly traps hither and thither among our pretty, fructiferous trees — little A-frame-shaped cardboard doohickeys with a dab of fly attractant.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2024

The humor is sporadic, hinging mostly on slapstick-style depictions of body parts being flung hither and thither.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 23, 2023

It’s a decision that will fling the lives of her self-involved cabal hither and thither, like raindrops being shaken off an umbrella.

From New York Times • Oct. 13, 2020

Behold, I go out thither and shall perish by one bite of the leopard.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2019

‘Who knows? Have patience. Go where you must go, and hope! To Edoras! I go thither also.’

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien