Herein

How to spell herein

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce herein

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does herein mean?

1. adverbIn this document, statement, or matter being referred to.

Herein in a sentence

• The terms defined herein apply to the entire agreement.

• Nothing herein shall be construed as a waiver of any right.

Where does herein come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a native English compound, formed from the Old English adverb 'her' (here, in this place) joined to 'in' (within), a pattern English has used for centuries to make formal pointing words. It belongs to a small family of legal and bookish adverbs built the same way, alongside 'hereby', 'herewith', 'hereof', 'hereafter', and 'heretofore'. The original sense was simply 'in this place', but by the late medieval period it had narrowed mostly to 'in this matter' or 'in this document', which is why it now lives largely in contracts, statutes, and official letters. The spelling stays transparent because both halves remain ordinary words: it is literally 'here' plus 'in', written as one. The chief trap is not the letters but remembering it is a single closed word, not the two separate words 'here in'.

How the word is built

• here (in this place/document)
• -in (within, inside)