Hereuntofore

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Before this point in time or previously in this matter that has been discussed
2. Prior to the current moment in time or earlier in relation to the subject at hand that has been mentioned
3. At a time before this or in connection with the matter previously addressed

Etymology: The standard spelling is "heretofore," and the user's form appears to be a typo. The word is built from three small pieces that each still exist in English: "here," "to," and "fore." "Here" in this sense means "in this matter" or "in this place," "to" marks the relationship to that matter, and "fore" means "before" in time, from Old English "foran." Put together, the parts mean roughly "in relation to this, before now." The compound took shape in Middle English, and it belongs to a family of similar formations, such as "hereto," "hereof," and "hereafter," in which "here" points back to the matter at hand. Its meaning is strictly temporal, but it is most often found in legal and formal writing, where it sets a boundary between what was true before and what applies now.