near

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Archived revision by Widsith (talk | contribs) as of 08:45, 8 January 2020.
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: Near

English

Etymology

From Middle English nere, ner, from Old English nēar (“nearer”, comparative of nēah (“nigh”)), influenced by Old Norse nǣr (“near”), both originating from Proto-Germanic *nēhwiz (“nearer”), comparative of the adverb *nēhw (“near”). Cognate with Old Frisian niār (“nearer”), Dutch naar (“to, towards”), German näher (“nearer”), Danish nær (“near, close”), Norwegian nær (“near, close”) Swedish nära (“near, close”). See also nigh.

Near appears to be derived from (or at the very least influenced by) the North Germanic languages; compare Danish nær (“near, close”), Norwegian nær (“near, close”) Swedish nära (“near, close”), as opposed to nigh, which continues the inherited West Germanic adjective, like Dutch na (“close, near”), German nah (“close, near, nearby”), Luxembourgish no (“nearby, near, close”). Both, however, are ultimately derived from the same Proto-Germanic root: *nēhw (“near, close”).

Pronunciation

Adjective

near (comparative nearer, superlative nearest)

  1. Physically close.
    • (Can we date this quote by Dryden and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      He served great Hector, and was ever near, / Not with his trumpet only, but his spear.
    Synonym: close
    Antonym: remote
  2. Closely connected or related.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Bible, Leviticus xviii. 12
      She is thy father's near kinswoman.
  3. Close to one's interests, affection, etc.; intimate; dear.
    a near friend
  4. Close to anything followed or imitated; not free, loose, or rambling.
    a version near to the original
  5. So as barely to avoid or pass injury or loss; close; narrow.
    a near escape
  6. (of an event) Approaching.
    The end is near.
  7. Approximate, almost.
    The two words are near synonyms.
  8. (British, in relation to a vehicle) On the side nearest to the kerb (the left-hand side if one drives on the left).
    The near front wheel came loose.
    Antonym: off
  9. (dated) Next to the driver, when he is on foot; (US) on the left of an animal or a team.
    the near ox; the near leg
  10. (obsolete) Immediate; direct; close; short.
    • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      the nearest way
  11. (now rare) Stingy; parsimonious. [from 17th c.]
    • 1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia, II.iii.1:
      “[T]o let you know, Miss, he's so near, it's partly a wonder how he lives at all: and yet he's worth a power of money, too.”

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

near (comparative nearer, superlative nearest)

  1. Having a small intervening distance with regard to something.
    I'm near-sighted.
  2. (colloquial) nearly
    • 1666, Samuel Pepys, Diary and Correspondence, (1867)
      […] he hears for certain that the Queen-Mother is about and hath near finished a peace with France […]
    • 1825, David Hume, Tobias George Smollett, The History of England, page 263
      Sir John Friend had very near completed a regiment of horse.
    • 2003, Owen Parry, Honor's Kingdom, page 365
      Thinking about those pounds and pence, I near forgot my wound.
    • 2004, Jimmy Buffett, A Salty Piece of Land page 315
      "I damn near forgot." He pulled an envelope from his jacket.
    • 2006, Juliet Marillier, The Dark Mirror, page 377
      The fire was almost dead, the chamber near dark.
    • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
      Is there a supermarket near here?
      Audio (US)(file)

Derived terms

Translations

nearly — see nearly

Preposition

near

  2. Close to, in close proximity to.
    There are habitable planets orbiting many of the stars near our Sun.
    • 1820, Mary Shelley, Maurice, or The Fisher's Cot:
      He entered the inn, and asking for dinner, unbuckled his wallet, and sat down to rest himself near the door.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 17, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything.
    • 1927, H.P. Lovecraft, The Colour Out of Space:
      It shied, balked, and whinnied, and in the end he could do nothing but drive it into the yard while the men used their own strength to get the heavy wagon near enough the hayloft for convenient pitching.
    • 2013 August 16, John Vidal, “Dams endanger ecology of Himalayas”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 10, page 8:
      Most of the Himalayan rivers have been relatively untouched by dams near their sources. Now the two great Asian powers, India and China, are rushing to harness them as they cut through some of the world's deepest valleys.
  3. Close to in time.
    The voyage was near completion.
Usage notes

Joan Maling (1983) shows that near is best analysed as an adjective with which the use of to is optional, rather than a preposition. It has the comparative and the superlative, and it can be followed by enough. The use of to however is usually British.

Antonyms

Translations

Verb

near (third-person singular simple present nears, present participle nearing, simple past and past participle neared)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To come closer to; to approach.
    The ship nears the land.

Translations

See also

Noun

near (plural nears)

  1. The left side of a horse or of a team of horses pulling a carriage etc.
    Synonym: near side
    Antonym: off side

See also

References

Anagrams

Latin

Pronunciation

Verb

(deprecated template usage) near

  1. first-person singular present passive subjunctive of neō

Latvian

Verb

near

  1. (deprecated template usage) 2nd person singular present indicative form of neart
  2. (deprecated template usage) 3rd person singular present indicative form of neart
  3. (deprecated template usage) 3rd person plural present indicative form of neart
  4. (deprecated template usage) 2nd person singular imperative form of neart
  5. (with the particle lai) (deprecated template usage) 3rd person singular imperative form of neart
  6. (with the particle lai) (deprecated template usage) 3rd person plural imperative form of neart
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=near&oldid=58313982"