hither

[ hith-er ]

adverb

1. to or toward this place:

   to come hither.

adjective

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

   the hither side of the meadow.

hither

/ ˈhɪðə /

adverb

1. to or towards this place (esp in the phrase come hither ) Also (archaic)hitherwardhitherwards
2. hither and thither
   this way and that, as in a state of confusion

adjective

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hither¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hither¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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.

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

The oldest “come hither” L.A. guidebooks in the Huntington Library archives are all about boosterism.

From Los Angeles Times

As a drama it comprises a busy, somewhat tiring eight hours as it veers hither and yon — there is a lot of veering — and characters fall out of and back into accord with remarkable speed and regularity, to keep things interesting.

From Los Angeles Times

The fear is essentially anyone who was not born with one functioning ding-dong with which to rule the world, planting seeds hither and yon.

From Salon

Ms Holm has been missing from Hither Green, south-east London, since going to an off-licence on 29 June.

From BBC