whither (usage)

Whither—opposite of hither and of whence—means to where.  It’s mainly an archaism, but writers still use it from time to time, usually with a humorous tone.

However, virtually everyone who employs whither on the web uses it to mean Where has [noun] gone?—for example:

Whither healthcare?

Whither transparency?

Whither Spider-man?

These authors—all following the same trendy usage—try to use whither as a verb (combined with an adverb or conjunction), which has nothing to do with whither’s original meaning. To illustrate, here are examples of correct whither usage from pre-20th-century literature. Notice how each whither needs a verb to complete the thought:

Descending, I went wandering whither chance might lead . . .

(Charlotte Bronte)

“Hola! my man of peace,” he cried to Alleyne, “whither are you bent this morning?”

(Arthur Conan Doyle)

He had calculated on undermining her affection for her husband—and whither had his calculations led him?

(Wilkie Collins)

In any case, there’s no reason to use whither unless you’re trying to sound archaic. Otherwise, use where.

Also, be careful not to use whither when you mean to use the verb wither, meaning to lose freshness; to shrivel; to droop. Spell-checkers won’t catch this error.