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into, inhere, within, herein

Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2013 12:39 pm
by eberntson
"Into, inhere, herein, and within" are all valid words, but why? Why not init, inthere, overthere, inwhere, inwhat (whatin), etc.

Re: into, inhere, within, herein

Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2013 10:03 pm
by Perry Lassiter
Therein lies a tale or tail for which I have no ability to relate. i suspect one could refine the search by asking why some words get jammed in like boxcars and others retain their independence. And within has its counterpart, without.

Re: into, inhere, within, herein

Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2013 10:43 pm
by gailr
Init was a common abbreviation in the early days of Macintosh computers. :wink:

Into, herein, and within are examples of words falling together in normal speech frequently enough to become words in their own right. Some that you questioned, such as inwhere or inwhat, do not. In there and over there are common but remain separate, perhaps because this combination isn't apt to be found in legal or court language?

Inhere is an odd man out in your list; it's a verb, not spoken shorthand for "It's in here."

Re: into, inhere, within, herein

Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 2:20 am
by Philip Hudson
"Inhere," can mean, "Come in here and get a reprimand."

Re: into, inhere, within, herein

Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 10:07 am
by DerekB
There are parallels in our language's German roots: darin= in there, in that or just inside; darunter = underneath (it) and similar.

Other like the Scottish "outwith" serve to leave one wondering about the subtle distinction from "without".