nigh

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Contents

English [edit]

Etymology [edit]

Old English nēah, nēh, from Proto-Germanic *nēhw.

Pronunciation [edit]

Adjective [edit]

nigh (comparative nigher or more nigh, superlative nighest or most nigh)

  1. (archaic, poetic) near, close by, almost
    The end is nigh!

Usage notes [edit]

  • Nigh is an older form of near. Near was originally the comparative form of nigh; the superlative form was next. Nigh is used today mostly in archaic, poetic, or regional contexts.

Synonyms [edit]

Related terms [edit]

Translations [edit]

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Verb [edit]

nigh (third-person singular simple present nighs, present participle nighing, simple past and past participle nighed)

  1. To draw nigh (to); to approach; to come near.
    night is nighing, death is nighing
    nighing his hour
    a death-nighing moan

Quotations [edit]

Translations [edit]

Adverb [edit]

nigh (not comparable)

  1. almost, nearly
    Achieving the summit in a single day is well-nigh impossible.

Usage notes [edit]

  • Nigh is sometimes used as a combining form.

Quotations [edit]

Derived terms [edit]

Translations [edit]

Preposition [edit]

nigh

  1. near; close to
    When the Moon is horned ... is it not ever nigh the Sun?

Translations [edit]


Irish [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

  • IPA: [nʲiː] or [nʲɪɟ]

Verb [edit]

nigh (present analytic níonn, future analytic nífidh, verbal noun , past participle nite)

  1. to wash

Conjugation [edit]


Scottish Gaelic [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Old Irish nigid ‘he washes’, from Proto-Indo-European *neigʷ- ‘to wash’ (compare English nixie ‘water sprite’, Ancient Greek νίζω (nízein)).

Verb [edit]

nigh

  1. to wash, bathe

Participles [edit]

Tense \ Voice Active Passive
Present a' nighe --
Past nigh nigheadh
Future nighidh nighear
Conditional nigheadh nighteadh