Etymologically
Log in

close

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 19:51. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: verb and noun “end”: UK /kləʊz/, US /kloʊz/; adjective and noun “enclosure”: UK /kləʊs/, US /kloʊs/[1]

close1 to shut

Etymology

The verb is inherited from Middle English closen, borrowed from Old French clos-, the past-participle stem of clore (“to shut”),[2][3][4] from Latin claudere (“to shut, close; to block up”),[2][3][5] from Proto-Indo-European *klau- (“hook, peg”), things used as locks or bolts in early buildings.[2] Middle English closen gradually replaced the earlier clusen, from Old English beclysan (“to close in, shut up”).[3][2] The Latin verb is related to clāvis (“key”), and the root also gave Ancient Greek κλείς (kleís, “bar, bolt, key”) and German schließen (“to shut”).[6][3][7] English relatives include clause, closet, closure, cloister, conclude and clavicle.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

To shut, to cover in: about 1200 according to Etymonline,[2] about 1280 according to Barnhart.[3]

Semantic evolution

The intransitive sense “to become shut” is from the late 14th century,[2] and “to bring to an end” from about 1400.[2] “To draw near to” is from the 1520s, and “to come together” from the 1550s, the idea behind the military close ranks of the mid-17th century.[2] “To bring together the parts of”, as a book, is from the 1560s.[2] The noun, “a closing, a conclusion”, is from the late 14th century[2] or about 1399,[3] and in music, the end of a phrase, from the 1590s.[2] The intransitive “to come to an end” is from 1826, and of stock prices from 1860.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1200 – to shut.[2]
  • late 14th century – to become shut; noun, an end.[2]
  • c. 1400 – to bring to an end.[2]
  • 1520s – to draw near.[2]
  • 1550s – to come together.[2]
  • 1590s – noun, a musical cadence.[2]
  • 1826 – to come to an end.[2]
  • 1860 – of stock prices.[2]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To move a door, lid or the like so as to cover an opening; to shut.
  2. To bar access to; to fill or stop up.
  3. To stop the operation of, temporarily or for good.
  4. To bring or come to an end; to conclude.
  5. To bring together or unite; to come to an agreement: close a deal.
  6. To draw near; to come together: close ranks.

Noun

  1. An end or conclusion.
  2. (music) The end of a phrase; a cadence.

close2 near

Etymology

The adjective is inherited from Middle English clos, borrowed from Old French clos (“confined; concealed, secret; taciturn”),[2][3] from Latin clausus (“closed, reserved”), the past participle of claudere (“to shut”),[2][3][4] and so goes back to the same root as close1.[2] In part it is also the past participle of the English verb used as an adjective.[2] The noun “enclosure” is from Old French clos, from Latin clausum (“enclosure”).[7][4][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Closed, shut: probably about 1380,[3] and in the late 14th century also “strictly confined” and “secret”.[2] The noun, a dwelling, is from about 1250, and an enclosed place from about 1280.[3]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline explains that the main sense shifted to “near” in the late 15th century, from the verbal idea of closing the gap between two things.[2] Of persons, “near” in a figurative sense, it is from the 1560s.[2] “Stingy” is from the 1650s and “attentive to detail” from the 1660s,[2] while close-fisted is from about 1600[2] or 1608.[3] Of contests it is found by 1855.[2] Close quarters is from 1753,[3] close range from 1814,[2] and close-up from 1913.[3] The figurative close shave is American, from 1820 according to Etymonline[2] or 1834 according to Barnhart,[3] and close call is from 1866[2] or 1881.[3] The noun has meant the grounds around a cathedral since 1371.[9]

Timeline

  • c. 1250 – noun, a dwelling.[3]
  • c. 1280 – noun, an enclosed place.[3]
  • 1371 – a cathedral close.[9]
  • c. 1380 – closed, shut.[3]
  • late 15th century – near.[2]
  • 1560s – near in relationship.[2]
  • 1650s – stingy.[2]
  • 1753 – close quarters.[3]
  • 1820 – close shave.[2]
  • 1913 – close-up.[3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Near in space, time or relationship.
  2. Bound by affection or loyalty; intimate.
  3. With little space between parts; tight, compact.
  4. Decided by a narrow margin: a close race.
  5. Attentive to detail; thorough: close inspection.
  6. Shut in; stuffy, humid.
  7. Secretive; also, stingy.

Adverb

  1. In a close position or manner; closely.

Noun

  1. An enclosed area, especially the grounds around a cathedral.
  2. (British) A narrow passage or alley.
  • clause
  • closet
  • closure
  • cloister
  • conclude
  • include
  • enclose

Usage notes

The American Heritage Dictionary groups close with near, nigh, immediate and proximate, all meaning not far away in space, time or relationship.[10] It regards close proximity as redundant, but too widespread and harmless to object to.[10]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  7. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ a b Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  10. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin