Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adv. Up to the present time; before this; previously.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Before this time; formerly; up to this time.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- adv. Up to this time; hitherto; before; in time past.
WordNet 3.0
- adv. used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time
Etymologies
- From Middle English heretoforn, equivalent to here ("here") + toforn ("before"), from Old English toforan ("before"). More at here, tofore. (Wiktionary)
- Middle English : here, here; see here + tofore, previously (from Old English tōforan : tō, to; see to + foran, before from fore; see fore). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Severin's 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is exquisite, adding considerable lustre to a title heretofore known in this country only through dupey, unsubtitled, bootleg tapes.”
“The traversers" [4] were in everybody's mouth -- a term heretofore confined to law courts, and lawyers 'rooms.”
“She seems nice enough and she's attractive, but her claim to fame heretofore is her role as Lil 'Wayne's baby mama.”
“The announcement this week that Owen Wilson is about to become a first-time dad by girlfriend Jade Duell -- a name heretofore unknown to the celebrity-media industrial complex -- set off a flurry of fruitless Googling across the country.”
“The watchword heretofore on the "Yankee," as on every one of Uncle Sam's ships, had been "Remember the Maine.”
“Summer Students of occupying the Dormitories of the University be hereafter limited to the Dormitories, A.B. C. & D. of Dawson's Row and the Dormitories on Carr's Hill, from the 15th of July to the 15th of September, upon the terms heretofore prescribed for the Dormitories generally.”
“Resolved that Professors Davis & Cabell be authorized to continue the employment of Mr Scharf, as artist upon the terms heretofore allowed until the further order of the Board.”
“Observe, The goodness of God in converting and saving sinners heretofore is a proper encouragement to others in after-time to hope in his grace and mercy, and to apply themselves to these.”
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume VI (Acts to Revelation)
“Such public giants as Beck and Limbaugh can drop a word heretofore unknown to the unwashed and pretty quick everybody is sagely repeating same ( "Ah yes, Obama shows definite signs of Narcissist Personality Disorder").”
““The traversers” were in everybody’s mouth a term heretofore confined to law courts, and lawyers’ rooms.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘heretofore’.
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phrontistery - h
from phrontistery.info
habanera, habile, habiliment, hackle, hackney, hadal, hame, hank, hansom, hapax, hark, harl and 568 more...
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Yazhinni Spelling bee
tongue, stallion, scruple, salinity, schedule, rouge, populist, Permian, perspire, pasteurize, multitude, mournful and 227 more...
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Conjunctivitis
Unholy adverbose conjunction trinities. Yes, this list is ridiculous.
whomsoever, whilstsomewise, whichsoever, whichwherewise, whereoflike, whereinsoever, whereforemore, wherehapssuch, whereinas, whereasupon, whenwhereof, whencesoever and 87 more...
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Old-timey Function Words
Function Word
Herein we place all the therebys, amongsts and withals.hereby, thereby, whereby, herein, therein, wherein, forthwith, therewith, withal, amongst, moreover, heretofore and 21 more...
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Three is Compoundy.
Words that are made up of three words, be it intended for the meaning, or coincidentally (as in "attendance").
nonetheless, together, insofar, nevertheless, attendance, notwithstanding, hitherto, heretofore, whosoever, inasmuch, benjamin, psychotherapist and 40 more...
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zanshin's Words
gargoyle, ennui, paradigm, aardvark, verisimilitude, ghoti, tenacity, nescience, guillemet, squonk, maven, moxie and 210 more...
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hard to sense
somewhat, somewhere, elsewhere, whereby, likewise, spite, ever, along, otherwise, whatever, whichever, hitherto and 116 more...
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A Matter Of Time
Favorite time-related words.
vespertine, twilight, gloaming, eftsoon, eventide, dawn, eos, dusk, witching hour, ephemeral, candlemark, autumnal and 122 more...
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newGRE
mostly from magoosh
imbue, verge on, nonchalant, deliberate, timorous, futile, provisional, dissect, checked, tinged, alluring, visionary and 1046 more...
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Time for a new list!
abrupt, erupt, rupture, sync, appropinquity, heterochromia, homochromatic, monochromatic, willy nilly, nitty gritty, kowtow, wonton and 455 more...
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ADW1
obdurate, obstinate, behest, injunction, enjoin, circumspect, ensconce, discursive, lugubrious, doleful, somber, ken and 2476 more...
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tomax's Words
legerdemain, yayo, extravasation, wont, faze, coxswain, concomitant, enclave, unguent, rhabdomyolysis, effluent, puerile and 432 more...
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cloudjuice's Words
schadenfreude, sordid, promulgate, erratic, erroneous, amalgamate, sesquipedalian, incongruous, psychosis, etymology, simulacrum, serendipity and 988 more...
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The Collection
A somewhat discriminatory list of words and phrases collected for their euphonic or arcane appeal, interesting etymology, or concise definition of an otherwise unnamed phenomenon or concept.
ziggurat, neophilia, sucker punch, soporific, epoch, tundra, fiat, idiotproof, miscellany, metaphysics, cryptozoology, dysphoria and 850 more...
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stpeter's Words
abase, abasement, abashed, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abhorrent, abide, abject, ablation, abnegation and 3536 more...
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List for Test Day
heresy, reversion, predilection, pedagogy, disparate, virtuous, refurbish, efficaciously, provenance, heckler, amorphous, epitome and 236 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for heretofore.

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