yonder

English

WOTD – 2 December 2006

Alternative forms

• younder (dialectal)

Etymology

From Middle English yonder, yondre, ȝondre, ȝendre, from Old English ġeonre (“thither; yonder”, adverb), equivalent to yond (from ġeond, from Proto-Germanic *jainaz) + -er, as in hither, thither. Cognate with Scots ȝondir (“yonder”), Dutch ginder (“over there; yonder”), Gothic 𐌾𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌳𐍂𐌴 (jaindrē, “thither”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈjɒndə(ɹ)/
• (US) IPA: /ˈjɑndəɹ/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒndə(ɹ)

Adverb

yonder (not comparable)

1. (archaic or dialect) At or in a distant but indicated place.
   • c. 1597, William Shakespeare, “The Merry VViues of VVindsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene i], line 149:

     See who yonder is.

   • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, OCLC 639762314:

     "A fine man, that Dunwody, yonder," commented the young captain, as they parted, and as he turned to his prisoner. "We'll see him on in Washington some day. He is strengthening his forces now against Mr. Benton out there."

   Whose doublewide is that over yonder?

2. (archaic or dialect) Synonym of thither: to a distant but indicated place.
   • 1535, Bible (Coverdale), Genesis, 22:

     As for me and the childe, we wyl go yonder.

   They headed on over yonder.

Synonyms

• (all senses): there, over there, away there

Derived terms

• here and yonder, hither and yonder

Translations

in a distant, indicated place

• Albanian: atje (sq)
• Arabic: هُنَاك‎ (hunāk), هُنَالِك‎ (hunālik)
• Bengali: সেথা (śetha), হোথা (hotha)
• Breton: hont (br), ahont (br)
• Catalan: allà (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: （在）那邊 (zh), （在）那边 (zh) ((zài) nàbiān)

• Cornish: hons, enos, en-hons
• Czech: onde (cs), tam (cs)
• Dutch: ginder (nl)
• Estonian: taamal (et)
• Finnish: tuolla (fi)
• French: là-bas (fr)
• Georgian: იქით (ikit)
• German: dort drüben, dort (de), drüben (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: ἐκεῖ (ekeî)

• Icelandic: þarna (is)
• Irish: ansiúd
• Italian: laggiù (it)
• Japanese: あそこに (ja) (asoko ni), 彼方 (ja) (kanata)

• Korean: 저편 (ko) (jeopyeon)
• Macedonian: о́нде (ónde), о́ндека (óndeka)
• Malay: sana (ms), di sana
• Maori: korā
• Mongolian: энэ хавьд (ene havĭd)
• Ojibwe: iwidi
• Portuguese: além (pt), acolá (pt)
• Russian: вон та́м (von tám), там (ru) (tam)
• Scottish Gaelic: an siud
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: о́нде

  Roman: ónde (sh)

• Sicilian: ddassutta, ddocu sutta
• Spanish: de allá
• Turkish: orada (tr)
• Ukrainian: он (uk) (on), там (uk) (tam), отам (otam), онде (onde); тамо (tamo), оно (ono) (colloquial)
• Welsh: acw, draw
• West Frisian: jinder

Adjective

yonder (comparative more yonder, superlative most yonder)

1. (archaic or dialect) The farther, the more distant of two choices.
   • 1834, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Francesca Carrara, volume 2, page 163:

     "You have all necessary proofs in your possession, though you may not be aware of their existence," replied Arden; "will you allow me to open yonder box?"

Synonyms

• see farther

Determiner

yonder

1. (archaic or dialect, as an adjective) Who or which is over yonder, usually distant but within sight.
   • c. 1591–1595, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene ii]:

     But ſoft, what light through yonder window breaks?
     It is the Eaſt, and Iuliet is the Sunne […]

   • 1826, [Mary Shelley], chapter 2, in The Last Man. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], OCLC 230675575:

     Fire, the Sword, and Plagueǃ They may all be found in the yonder city; on my head alone may they fallǃ

   • 1834, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Francesca Carrara, volume 2, page 163:

     "You have all necessary proofs in your possession, though you may not be aware of their existence," replied Arden; "will you allow me to open yonder box?"

   • 2006, Cécile Corbel (lyrics and music), “Siúil a Ruin”, in Songbook 1‎^[1], Brittany: Keltia Musique, performed by Cécile Corbel:

     I wish I were on yonder hill
     and there I’d sit and I’d cry my fill,
     and ev’ry tear would turn a mill,
     And a blessing walk with you, my love

   Yonder lass, who be she?

2. (archaic or dialect, as a pronoun) One who or which is over yonder, usually distant but within sight.

   The yonder is Queen Niobe.

Synonyms

• (distant but within sight): yon

Derived terms

• that yonder
• this yonder
• yonderly
• yondermair
• yondermost

 

Translations

distant but within sight

• Albanian: atje (sq)
• Breton: hont (br)
• Catalan: aquell (ca) m, aquella (ca) f
• Cornish: enos
• Finnish: tuo (fi)
• French: là-bas (fr)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: ἐκεῖνος (ekeînos), κεῖνος (keînos) (in verse)

• Japanese: あの (ja) (ano)

• Korean: 그 (ko) (geu), 그것 (ko) (geugeot)
• Macedonian: о́нде (ónde), о́ндека (óndeka), оној (onoj)
• Portuguese: aquele (pt) m, aquela (pt) f, aquilo (pt) n
• Russian: вон то́т m (von tót), вон та́ f (von tá), вон то́ n (von tó), вон те́ pl (von té)
• Spanish: aquel (es) m, aquella (es) f
• Turkish: oradaki
• Welsh: acw

Noun

yonder (plural yonders)

1. (literary) The vast distance, particularly the sky or trackless forest.
   • 1939, Robert MacArthur Crawford, "Army Air Corps:"

     Off we go in to the wild blue yonder,
     Climbing high into the sun...

Derived terms

• yonderward
• yonderway

 

Translations

the vast distance

• Finnish: tuo (fi)
• German: dort drüben

• Japanese: あれ (ja) (are)
• Russian: далёко (ru) (daljóko)

See also

• yon
• beyond

References

• “yonder, adv., adj., pron., & n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1921.

Anagrams

• Dorney, Rodney, Yerdon, droney