thither

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English thider, later also thither,^[2][3][4] inherited from Old English þider (“to that place”),^[5][6][7] an alteration of earlier þæder, Lindisfarne ðadder,^[6][7][8] under the influence of its opposite hider, modern hither,^[7][4][6] in which the i was original.^[6] It goes back to Proto-Germanic *þadrê,^[1][7] and it corresponds to Old Norse þaðra (“there”), Gothic 𐌸𐌰𐌸𐍂𐍉 (þaþro, “thence”) and Sanskrit तत्र (tátra, “there, thither”).^[7][4][3] It is formed from Proto-Indo-European *to-, the pronominal root of that and the,^[7][6][9] with a suffix denoting motion toward, seen also in Gothic 𐌷𐌹𐌳𐍂𐌴 (hidrē, “hither”) and 𐍈𐌰𐌳𐍂𐌴 (hwadrē, “whither”),^[6][7] and Barnhart reconstructs Proto-Indo-European *to-tro-.^[4] Gothic itself used 𐌾𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌳𐍂𐌴 (jaindrē) for "thither".^[6] The spelling with th for d, as in gather and mother, first appears in manuscripts of the “Cursor Mundi” and stayed rare until the early 16th century;^[6][7][4] Scots kept thidder down to 1600.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

To that place: about 725, in Beowulf, according to Barnhart.^[4] The OED's first quotation for the sense is from the Old English Martyrology,^[6] and Bosworth–Toller has many Old English examples, with verbs of going and sending.^[5]

Semantic evolution

In Old English the word could also serve as a relative, "whither", a use the OED follows to 1496,^[6][5] and in Middle English it was common: Chaucer has it 20 times.^[10] Two transferred senses existed for a while: up to that time, and to that end or result, the second still in Johnson's dictionary of 1755 as "to that end; to that point".^[6][9][11] The adjective, on the farther side, appears in 1830 in Charles Lamb's letters, formed from the adverb.^[6][4] From 1837 the phrase hither and thither could even be used as a verb.^[6] Now the word is mostly literary, since in ordinary speech there has taken over its work.^[6][9][12] North Yorkshire dialect used it for "further off", with the superlative thitherest.^[13]

Timeline

• c. 725 – to that place, in Beowulf.^[4]
• Old English – as a relative, to the place where (obsolete by 1496).^[6]
• before 1325 – the spellings tethir, thither for earlier thider, in the Cursor Mundi.^[4]
• before 1400 – up to that time (now obsolete).^[6]
• before 1616 – to that end or purpose (now obsolete).^[6]
• 1830 – adjective, on the farther side.^[6][4]
• 1837 – verb, in to hither and thither.^[6]

Meanings

Adverb

1. (archaic or literary) To or toward that place: The road forks at the mill, and the left branch leads thither.^[12][3][9]
2. hither and thither: in this direction and that.^[9][6]
3. (obsolete) To that end or purpose.^[6][9][3]
4. (obsolete) Up to that time.^[6][9]

Adjective

1. (rare) On the other, farther side: the thither slope of the ridge.^[3][9][6]

Word family

• thitherto
• thitherward

Related words

• hither
• whither
• that
• the

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
3. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ a b c Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ a b c d e f g h Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ Benson, Larry D., Glossarial Concordance to Middle English (Chaucer, Gower), Johns Hopkins University, github.com/jhu-digital-manuscripts/gcme
11. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
12. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
13. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)