What does hitherward mean?
Hitherward is an archaic and literary English adverb meaning “to or toward this place” or “here.” It belongs to a family of directional terms built around the old English element “hither,” meaning toward the speaker or the point of reference. The form is especially noticeable in older writing because it preserves the native Germanic ending “-ward,” which gives the word a formal and distinctly traditional character. Contemporary speakers would normally use “hither,” “here,” “this way,” or “toward here,” depending on the sentence. Hitherward can also carry an implied movement toward the speaker, the listener, or the place being discussed, making it somewhat more specific than a bare reference to a location. Although uncommon in everyday conversation, it remains useful in literary, historical, or deliberately antiquated prose. Its opposite, thitherward, points toward another place.
adverbTo or toward this place; here. It is chiefly an archaic or literary word, and is sometimes used in a broader sense of toward this point or location.
- To or toward this place, here; in archaic or literary usage, toward the speaker, the listener, or the point currently being considered.
"Come hitherward, traveler, and warm yourself by the fire."
"The travelers made their way hitherward as the storm clouds gathered behind them."
"The sound of the distant bells drifted hitherward across the quiet valley."
Say “hitherward” and you have stepped back into the age of elaborate directions: it is the old-fashioned equivalent of “toward here.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hitherward come from?
Hitherward is formed from the Old English directional element hider, meaning “hither” or “to this place,” together with the Old English suffix -weard, meaning “in the direction of.” The suffix is related to the ending found in other Germanic languages, including German -wärts, and survives in English words such as onward and backward. The compound was shaped by the same native English pattern that produced thitherward, with the two words distinguishing movement toward here from movement toward there.
Related word forms
How hitherward is actually used
Chiefly archaic, literary, or deliberately antiquated. It is uncommon in ordinary modern English, though it may appear in historical, poetic, formal, or stylized writing. “Hitherwards” is a less common variant form.
Easily confused with hitherward
Hitherward means toward this place, whereas thitherward means toward that place or a specified place away from the speaker.