Up until now; before this time; previously. Used in formal contexts to refer to the period of time before the present moment or before a specified point in time.
Compound of 'hereto' (to this point) and 'fore' (before), dating from the 15th century. Originally legal terminology meaning 'up to this document/point,' it evolved to mean 'up until now' in general formal usage.
Heretofore is like a time machine word that bundles up all of history before this moment into one neat package. It's particularly powerful in academic writing because it lets you dismiss or acknowledge everything that came before with elegant brevity.
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