Henceforth, heretofore and notwithstanding thenceforward wherewithal

Question

I love * these kind of words:

Moreover, therefore, heretofore, hereto, however, notwithstanding, furthermore, henceforth, wherefore, nonetheless, nevertheless, although, withal, howbeit, albeit, thenceforward, suchlike, so on and so forth...

Many are conjunctions but then there examples like:

Wherewithal, withstand, hereafter...

They are mostly composed of smaller words joined with each other, but personally, I don't think 'breakfast' or 'cupboard', for instance, have the same quality.

What, if any, is the term for this kind of word?

_{* used sparingly, they're really useful to communicate complex ideas efficiently, but overuse makes you sound a bit like a twat magisterial, or potentially betray a lack self-esteem (or at least awareness) ...}

P.S. please feel free to edit and help with tags on this one.

Related: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/57768/what-is-the-category-name-for-words-like-notwithstanding-forthwith-etc — DyingIsFun, May 31 '16 at 04:07
Perhaps you're ready for an exciting career in chartered accountancy. — deadrat, May 31 '16 at 04:11
@Silenus, thanks - that's the one! Pity that didn't turn up as a suggestion on the right hand side when I was writing it. — Lamar Latrell, May 31 '16 at 04:15
They're mostly chunks of phrases that become fixed together like tinkertoy assemblies left out in the rain to harden. They fit into the little places where they came from (if you can find them), and some have been repurposed to fit elsewhere (sort of). — John Lawler, Oct 06 '23 at 18:13

score 1 · Answer 1 · edited Aug 02 '20 at 14:14

1

According to Wikipedia, "univerbation is the diachronic process of combining a fixed expression of several words into a new single word."

edited Aug 02 '20 at 14:14

Edwin Ashworth

83,272

answered Jul 17 '20 at 10:10

user49130

19

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And could you please add information describing whether grammarians distinguish between univerbation and compounding, and what the discriminators are stated to be if this is the case ... and of course whether all grammarians are agreed on this analysis. Are 'sleepover' and 'moreover' in different 'fusion classes'? – Edwin Ashworth Jul 17 '20 at 10:57
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@EdwinAshworth I don't think that is a necessary component to my answer, but it sounds as though you have different information than I do and perhaps would like to add an answer of your own, and I for one am looking forward to reading it! I'm particularly interested in the inclusion of anything that "all grammarians are agreed on" – user49130 Aug 02 '20 at 10:47
Compounds are any words formed by the fusion of (usually two) smaller words, such as inkwell/ink-well/ink well (the third variant here being the 'open compound'). But OP attempts to specify a subset of these. Wikipedia's definition doesn't exclude say 'inkwell', or any compound word. Is there a more relevant specifying definition (and is Wikipedia inaccurate here)? – Edwin Ashworth Aug 02 '20 at 14:58

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 05 '23 at 13:55

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A specific term for a subset of these words is a Pronominal Adverb. Examples include: Hereby, wherefor, whereof, thereof, whereon, herewith, etc. You're actually listing several types of words, but these are the ones I hope you will find most interesting. They fell out of favour in English, but are very common (necessary even) in other germanic languages, and you will still find them all over legal documents.

"I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows" — William Shakespeare

answered Oct 05 '23 at 13:55

Luciana Fruin

26

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Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center. – Community Oct 05 '23 at 14:12

Henceforth, heretofore and notwithstanding thenceforward wherewithal

2 Answers2