hither
/ˈhɪðə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhɪðər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhi-t͟hər/ (ame, mw)
hither — adverb
1. moving in the direction of the speaker or the place where the speaker is. 'Come
moving in the direction of the speaker or the place where the speaker is. 'Come hither' means 'come over to where I am.'
The bishop raised a hand and murmured, 'Come hither, my son.'
archaic imperative: come hither
Lady Ellen sent word for the steward to ride hither at dawn.
Amir travelled hither from Baghdad with a caravan of rare spices.
'Step not a foot hither,' the sentry warned the approaching rider.
The duke commanded every family in the valley to gather hither before sunset.
- here
the modern everyday equivalent; lacks the old-fashioned tone and the specific sense of movement toward the speaker
- over here
informal modern equivalent used for drawing someone's attention to where you are
- this way
means 'in this direction' and can use any shared reference point, not only the speaker's position
用法筆記
Now archaic in everyday speech; survives mainly in literary, historical, or deliberately old-fashioned writing. In modern English, 'here' or 'over here' is the natural replacement. The phrase 'come hither' is the most common survival.
常見錯誤
hither — adjective
- hitherpositive
- hitherercomparative
- hitherestsuperlative
1. situated on the side that is closer to the speaker or to a reference point. 'The
situated on the side that is closer to the speaker or to a reference point. 'The hither side of the river' means the near bank.
The cottage stood on the hither slope of the green valley.
the hither + geographical noun: the hither slope
On the hither bank, willows dipped their branches into the water.
The children played safely on the hither side of the stone wall.
From the hither ridge, they could see the village nestled below.
The gardener planted roses along the hither edge of the garden path.
- near
the modern adjective meaning 'closer in distance'; lacks the directional sense of being on the speaker's side
- closer
comparative of 'close,' commonly used where 'hither' would once have appeared
- nearside
a more specific modern term, especially in British English for the side of a vehicle closest to the kerb
- farther
situated on the more distant side
文法句型
the hither + noun
用法筆記
Extremely rare outside of topographical or poetic description. Modern equivalents are 'near,' 'closer,' or 'this side of.' Often appears in contrast with 'the farther side.'