Etymologically
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near

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /nɪə/, US /nɪr/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English ner, which continues inherited from Old English nēar (“closer, nearer”), the comparative of nēah (“near”), modern nigh,[2][3][4] and was partly borrowed from Old Norse nær (“nearer, near”), the comparative of ná- (“near”).[5][6][7] Hoad and the Concise Oxford take the Norse word as the main source, since the form first appears in northern and eastern texts,[6][7] while Barnhart and Etymonline see Norse influence only in the use of near as a positive.[3][2] Its relatives include Old Frisian niār, Old High German nāhōr and German näher.[3][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Closer, nearer: Old English nēar, about 725, in Beowulf.[3]

Semantic evolution

Near was at first the comparative of nigh, but in Middle English it came to be used as a positive, from the mid-13th century,[2] perhaps influenced by Norse phrases such as ganga nǣr, “go nearer”, which could also be understood as “go near”.[3] A new comparative, nearer, was formed in the 16th century.[3][2][6] The adverb meant “almost” from the 12th century, as it still does in dialect,[6] but in most uses it has been replaced by nearly, while the adjective near has in turn replaced nigh.[2][6] The preposition is from the mid-13th century and the adjective from about 1300.[2] “Closely related” is from the late 14th century, and “stingy” from the 1610s.[2][6] The verb, “to approach”, is from 1513.[3][9] Near and dear is from the 1620s, a near thing from 1751, the Near East from 1894 and near beer from 1908.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 725 – Old English nēar, nearer (Beowulf).[3]
  • 12th century – almost.[6]
  • mid-13th century – used as a positive; preposition.[2]
  • c. 1300 – adjective.[2]
  • 1513 – verb, to approach.[3]
  • 16th century – nearer.[3]
  • 1610s – stingy.[2]
  • 1751 – a near thing.[2]
  • 1894 – Near East.[2]

Modern meaning

Adverb

  1. At or to a short distance in space or time.
  2. Almost, nearly: near impossible.
  3. Closely: near related.

Adjective

  1. Close in space, time or degree.
  2. Closely related by kinship or friendship; intimate.
  3. Narrowly missed: a near miss.
  4. Closely resembling: a near likeness.
  5. (dated) Mean, stingy.

Preposition

  1. Close to.

Verb

  1. To come near; to approach.

Word family

  • nearness
  • nearly
  • nearby
  • nearshore
  • overnear
  • Near East
  • near gale
  • Near Islands

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 Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster