NIGH DEFINITIONS - 16 definitions found
nigh adj 1: not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances; "near neighbors"; "in the near future"; "they are near equals"; "his nearest approach to success"; "a very near thing"; "a near hit by the bomb"; "she was near tears"; "she was close to tears"; "had a close call" [syn: near, close, nigh] [ant: far] 2: being on the left side; "the near or nigh horse is the one on the left"; "the animal's left side is its near or nigh side" [syn: near(a), nigh(a)] adv 1: near in time or place or relationship; "as the wedding day drew near"; "stood near the door"; "don't shoot until they come near"; "getting near to the true explanation"; "her mother is always near"; "The end draws nigh"; "the bullet didn't come close"; "don't get too close to the fire" [syn: near, nigh, close] 2: (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but; "the job is (just) about done"; "the baby was almost asleep when the alarm sounded"; "we're almost finished"; "the car all but ran her down"; "he nearly fainted"; "talked for nigh onto 2 hours"; "the recording is well-nigh perfect"; "virtually all the parties signed the contract"; "I was near exhausted by the run"; "most everyone agrees" [syn: about, almost, most, nearly, near, nigh, virtually, well-nigh] nigh - golod nigh hing nigh O.E. neah (W.Saxon), neh (Anglian). The O.E. progression was neah near niehsta, for "nigh near next." But the comp. near and the superl. nehst gradually evolved into separate words not felt as related to nigh. New comp. and superl. forms, nigher, nighest, developed 1300s as phonetic changes obscured the original relationships. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) nigh I. adverb Etymology: Middle English, from Old English nēah; akin to Old High German nāh, adverb, nigh, preposition, nigh, after, Old Norse nā- nigh Date: before 12th century 1. near in place, time, or relationship — often used with on, onto, or unto 2. nearly, almost II. adjective Date: before 12th century 1. close, near 2. chiefly dialect direct, short 3. being on the left side <the nigh horse> III. preposition Date: before 12th century near IV. verb Date: 13th century transitive verb to draw or come near to ; approach intransitive verb to draw near Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary nigh 1. If an event is nigh, it will happen very soon. (OLD-FASHIONED) The end of the world may be nigh, but do we really care?... ADV: be ADV see also well-nigh 2. Nigh on an amount, number, or age means almost that amount, number, or age. (OLD-FASHIONED) I had to pay nigh on forty pounds for it. = nearly PHRASE: PHR amount English Explanatory Dictionary nigh naɪ adv., prep., & adj. archaic or dial. near. [OE neh, neah] Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Nigh \Nigh\, prep. Near to; not remote or distant from. ``was not this nigh shore?'' --Shak. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Nigh \Nigh\, a. [Compar. Nigher; superl. Nighest, or Next.] [OE. nigh, neigh, neih, AS. ne['a]h, n?h; akin to D. na, adv., OS. n[=a]h, a., OHG. n[=a]h, G. nah, a., nach to, after, Icel. n[=a] (in comp.) nigh, Goth. n?hw, n?hwa, adv., nigh. Cf. Near, Neighbor, Next.] 1. Not distant or remote in place or time; near. The loud tumult shows the battle nigh. --Prior. 2. Not remote in degree, kindred, circumstances, etc.; closely allied; intimate. ``Nigh kinsmen.'' --Knolles. Ye . . . are made nigh by the blood of Christ. --Eph. ii. 13. Syn: Near; close; adjacent; contiguous; present; neighboring. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Nigh \Nigh\, adv. [AS. ne['a]h, n?h. See Nigh, a.] 1. In a situation near in place or time, or in the course of events; near. He was sick, nigh unto death. --Phil. ii. 27. He drew not nigh unheard; the angel bright, Ere he drew nigh, his radiant visage turned. --Milton. 2. Almost; nearly; as, he was nigh dead. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Nigh \Nigh\, v. t. & i. To draw nigh (to); to approach; to come near. [Obs.] --Wyclif (Matt. iii. 2). International Standard Bible Encyclopedia NIGH ni. See NEAR. Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms nigh I. a. 1. Near, adjacent, adjoining, contiguous, close by, close, close at hand, bordering upon, approximate to, hard by. 2. Near, present, proximate. 3. Intimate, closely allied. II. ad. 1. Near. 2. Almost, nearly. III. prep. Near, close to, close by, not far from. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 96 Moby Thesaurus words for "nigh": about, all but, almost, along toward, approach, approaching, approximate, approximating, arm-in-arm, around, as good as, aside, at close quarters, at hand, at next hand, beside, bordering on, burning, by, cheek-by-jowl, circa, close, close about, close at hand, close by, close to, close upon, closely, come near, converge, counterclockwise, draw near, draw nigh, fast by, hand-in-hand, hard, hard by, hard on, hereabout, hereabouts, hot, immediate, in spitting distance, intimate, just about, larboard, left, left-hand, left-wing, left-wingish, levorotatory, liberal, near, near at hand, near the mark, near to, near upon, nearabout, nearabouts, nearby, nearing, nearish, nearly, next door to, nigh about, nighhand, nighish, not far, not far from, not quite, only a step, port, pretty near, propinque, proximal, proximate, radical, round, side-by-side, sinister, sinistral, sinistrocerebral, sinistrocular, sinistrogyrate, sinistrorse, thereabout, thereabouts, verging on, verging upon, vicinal, warm, well-nigh, within call, within earshot, within hearing, within reach |
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