To or toward this place; an old-fashioned way of saying 'here' or 'over here.'
From Old English 'hider' and Germanic roots related to 'here.' The word has been largely replaced by 'here' in modern English but survives in historical texts and archaic phrases like 'hither and thither.'
You'll find 'hither' constantly in Shakespeare and fairy tales ('Hither, good servant!'), which is why it sounds so medieval and magical. The word 'thither' (meaning 'to there') was its opposite, showing how old English had matching pairs of words we've mostly abandoned.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.