hitherto
/ˈhɪðəɹˌtu/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.15 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "All men att the begynnynge⸝ ſett forth goode wyne⸝ And when men be dronke⸝ then thatt which is worſſe: Butt thou haſt kept backe the goode wyne hetherto."
- "[T]he greateſt and moſt active part of Mankind, has never hetherto been vvell contented vvith the preſent."
- "But Charles, as vvell from unvvillingneſs to alienate a province of ſo much value, as from diſguſt at the Pope, vvho had hitherto refuſed to join in the vvar againſt Francis, rejected the propoſal."
- "The exhaustless conjecturings of that evening's full conversation, made such of the small party, as had hitherto been strangers, well acquainted with each other's turn of mind; […]"
- "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles."
- "The results of this study argue for a greater endonormativity in Indian English than has hitherto been recognised."
Etymology
The adverb is derived from Middle English hiderto (“to the present time, until now; up to this point”), from hider (“in this direction, to or toward this place; up to the present time, until now”) (from Old English hider (“to here, hither”)) + to (“in the direction of, toward; etc.”). By surface analysis, hither + to. The adjective is derived from the adverb.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈhɪðəɹˌtu/
- British English: /ˌhɪðəˈtuː/
Usage
Phrases
1. Scottish2. from Middle English mid3. old dialectal form