hither and thither

adverb

No English definition recorded for this entry.

Pronunciation: /ˌhɪðəɹ‿n̩ ˈðɪðə/ / /-ˈθɪðə/ / /ˌhɪðɚ‿n̩ ˈðɪðɚ/

Etymology: The adverb is derived from hither + and + thither. The verb is derived from the phrase “to come hither and go thither”.

To here and to there, one place after another; in different directions.
“All alter, nothing finally decayes: / Hether and thether ſtill the Spirit ſtrayes; / Gueſt to all Bodies: out of beaſts it flyes / To men, from men to beaſts; and neuer dyes.”
“Noailles, Cogny and Company hang well back upon the Hill regions, and strong posts which are not yet menaced; or fly vaguely, more or less distractedly, hither and thither; not in the least like fighting Karl, much less like beating him.”
In a disorderly manner.
“Presently, men were running hither and thither in all ways. The artillery booming, forward, rearward, and on the flanks made jumble of ideas of direction.”
“It was fortunate that I was not holding a tea cup as she spoke, for hearing Sir Roderick thus addressed I gave another of my sudden starts and, had I had such a cup in my hand, must have strewn its contents hither and thither like a sower going forth sowing. As it was, I merely sent a cucumber sandwich flying through the air.”

Etymology: The adverb is derived from hither + and + thither. The verb is derived from the phrase “to come hither and go thither”.

To move here and then there; to move in different directions.
“I have been too long waiting for certainties; hithering''' and thithering being a condition under which I find it almost impossible to write, or indeed to do anything except fret myself to fiddlestrings.”
“Mr. C. [i.e., Thomas Carlyle] always hithers and thithers in a weary interminable way, before he can make up his mind what he would like most to do.”