thereabout
EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
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From Middle English ther-aboute, ther-abouten (“of a place or an object: around there, in its vicinity; surrounding it; nearby, neighbouring; here and there, throughout that place; of an action, matter, etc.: about, concerning; of an amount or distance: approximately, more or less; of time: about then, around that time”) [and other forms],[1] from Old English þǣr-ābūtan, þǣr-onbūtan, from þǣr (“there”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *só (“this; that”) + *-r) + abūtan, onbūtan (“about; round about; on; on the outside”) (from on- (prefix meaning ‘on; upon; there; thither; to’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en- (“on; onto”)) + būtan (“just, merely, only”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep- + *úd (“away; out; outwards; upwards”))). The English word is analysable as there + about.[2]
The word is attested earlier than thereabouts.
PronunciationEdit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ðɛəɹəˈbaʊt/, /ˈðɛəɹəbaʊt/
Audio (Berkshire) (file) Audio (Berkshire) (file) - (General American) IPA(key): /ˈðɛɹəˌbaʊt/, /ˌðɛɹəˈbaʊt/
- Hyphenation: there‧a‧bout
AdverbEdit
thereabout (not comparable)
- About or near that place.
- Synonym: thereabouts
- About or around that date or time.
- Synonym: thereabouts
- Dinner will be ready at six-thirty or thereabout.
- About or near to that condition or quality.
- Synonym: thereabouts
- Approximately that number or quantity.
- Synonym: thereabouts
- The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second, right? Yes, thereabout.
- (obsolete)
- About that; concerning that.
- Synonyms: thereabouts, (Scotland) thereanent
- [1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Sompners Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales (in Middle English), [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], OCLC 230972125; republished in [William Thynne], editor, The Workes of Geffray Chaucer Newlye Printed, […], [London]: […] [Richard Grafton for] Iohn Reynes […], 1542, OCLC 932884868, folio xlvi, recto:
- Now mayſter (ꝙ the wyfe) er that I go / What wol ye dyne? I wol go ther aboute.
- "Now master," (quod the wife), "ere that I go, / What will ye dine? I will go thereabout."]
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Luke 24:3–4, column 2:
- And they entred in, and found not the body of the Lord Jeſus. And it came to paſſe, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men ſtood by them in ſhining garments.
- (figuratively) Near to that activity or situation.
- Synonym: thereabouts
- About that; concerning that.
TranslationsEdit
about or near that place
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about or around that date or time
about or near to that condition or quality
approximately that number or quantity
See alsoEdit
- (about): hereabout, thereabout, whereabout
- (abouts): hereabouts, thereabouts, whereabouts
- (after): hereafter, thereafter, whereafter
- (against): thereagainst, whereagainst
- (again): thereagain
- (amongst): whereamongst
- (among): thereamong, whereamong
- (around): therearound
- (as): thereas, whereas
- (at): hereat, thereat, whereat
- (before): herebefore, therebefore
- (beside): therebeside
- (between): therebetween, wherebetween
- (by): hereby, thereby, whereby
- (fore): herefore, therefore, wherefore
- (from): herefrom, therefrom, wherefrom
- (in after): hereinafter, thereinafter, whereinafter
- (in before): hereinbefore, thereinbefore, whereinbefore
- (in): herein, therein, wherein
- (into): hereinto, thereinto, whereinto
- (of): hereof, thereof, whereof
- (on): hereon, thereon, whereon
- (tofore): heretofore, theretofore, wheretofore
- (to): hereto, thereto, whereto
- (under): hereunder, thereunder, whereunder
- (unto): hereunto, thereunto, whereunto
- (upon): hereupon, thereupon, whereupon
- (withal): herewithal, therewithal, wherewithal
- (with): herewith, therewith, wherewith
ReferencesEdit
- ^ “thē̆r-abǒute(n, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
- ^ “thereabout, adv.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, June 2021; “thereabouts (also thereabout), adv.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.
