hitherto
adv. timeadv. until now or until a specific time in the past. You use this to talk about a situation that was true before a change happened.
adv. until this time or until the point in time under discussion. Often used to introduce a contrast between a previous state and a new development.
The museum is showing hitherto unseen paintings by the artist.
The discovery provided evidence for a hitherto unknown civilization that lived in the valley centuries ago.
The new legislation aims to protect rights that were hitherto ignored by the legal system, marking a significant shift in national policy.
The adverb is derived from Middle English hiderto (“to the present time, until now; up to this point”), from hider (“in this direction, to or toward this place; up to the present time, until now”) (from Old English hider (“to here, hither”)) + to (“in the direction of, toward; etc.”). By surface analysis, hither + to. The adjective is derived from the adverb.
Typically placed immediately before the adjective or noun phrase it modifies, or at the beginning of a clause.