near
verb
- to approach
adverb
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L333709 on Wikidata ↗preposition
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L333914 on Wikidata ↗adjective
- not far
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /nɪə/ / [nɪə̯] / /nɪː/
adj
Etymology: From Middle English nere, ner, from Old English nēar (“nearer”, comparative of nēah (“nigh”), the superlative would become next), influenced by Old Norse nær (“near”), both originating from Proto-Germanic *nēhwiz (“nearer”), comparative of the adverb *nēhw (“near”), from the adjective *nēhwaz, ultimately from Pre-Proto-Germanic *h₂nḗḱwos, a lengthened-grade adjective derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- (“to reach”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian nai, noi, näi (“close, near”), Saterland Frisian nai (“close, near”), Dutch na (“close”), naar (“to, towards”), Dutch Low Saxon nao (“after”), German nach (“after”), nahe (“near”), näher (“nearer”), German Low German nao, nå (“towards”), Luxembourgish no (“after”), Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk nær (“close, near”), Swedish när, nära (“close, near”), Gothic 𐌽𐌴𐍈 (nēƕ, “close, near”). See also nigh. Near appears to be derived from (or at the very least influenced by) the North Germanic languages; as opposed to nigh, which continues the inherited West Germanic adjective. Both, however, are ultimately derived from the same Proto-Germanic root: *nēhw (“near, close”).
- Physically close.
“I can't see near objects very clearly without my glasses.”
“Stay near at all times.”
- Close in time.
“The end is near.”
“We're getting near to Christmas.”
- Closely connected or related.
“The deceased man had no near relatives.”
“she is thy fathers neere kinswoman.”
- Close to one's interests, affection, etc.; intimate; dear.
“It is a matter of near consequence to me.”
“a near friend”
- Close to anything followed or imitated; not free, loose, or rambling.
“a version near to the original”
- So as barely to avoid or pass injury or loss; close; narrow.
“a near escape”
- Approximate, almost.
“The two words are near synonyms.”
- On the side nearest to the kerb (the left-hand side if one drives on the left).
“The near front wheel came loose.”
- 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”
- Immediate; direct; close; short.
“Toward ſolid good what leads the neareſt way;”
- Stingy; parsimonious.
“Don't be near with your pocketbook.”
“[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.”
- Within the currently selected segment in a segmented memory architecture.
“a near pointer”
adv
Etymology: From Middle English nere, ner, from Old English nēar (“nearer”, comparative of nēah (“nigh”), the superlative would become next), influenced by Old Norse nær (“near”), both originating from Proto-Germanic *nēhwiz (“nearer”), comparative of the adverb *nēhw (“near”), from the adjective *nēhwaz, ultimately from Pre-Proto-Germanic *h₂nḗḱwos, a lengthened-grade adjective derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- (“to reach”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian nai, noi, näi (“close, near”), Saterland Frisian nai (“close, near”), Dutch na (“close”), naar (“to, towards”), Dutch Low Saxon nao (“after”), German nach (“after”), nahe (“near”), näher (“nearer”), German Low German nao, nå (“towards”), Luxembourgish no (“after”), Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk nær (“close, near”), Swedish när, nära (“close, near”), Gothic 𐌽𐌴𐍈 (nēƕ, “close, near”). See also nigh. Near appears to be derived from (or at the very least influenced by) the North Germanic languages; as opposed to nigh, which continues the inherited West Germanic adjective. Both, however, are ultimately derived from the same Proto-Germanic root: *nēhw (“near, close”).
- At or towards a position close in space or time.
- Nearly; almost.
“He was near unconscious when I found him.”
“I jumped into the near-freezing water.”
name
Etymology: Scottish surname, probably shortened/altered from McNair.
- A surname.
noun
Etymology: From Middle English nēre, neere (“kidney, abdomen; (pl.) seat of emotions”), probably from unattested Old English *nēora, *nīora, from Proto-West Germanic *neurō, from Proto-Germanic *neurô; but alternatively borrowed from Middle Low German nêre. Cognate with Scots nere, neir, German Niere, Dutch nier, Norwegian nyre, Icelandic nýra, and more distantly Latin nefronēs pl (Praeneste dialect), Ancient Greek νεφρός (nephrós), all meaning both “kidney” and “testicle”. In most English dialects, this word survived only as a fossil in the second syllable of kidney (earlier kide-nēre), wherein the original r was apparently replaced with y.
- Kidney.
prep
Etymology: From Middle English nere, ner, from Old English nēar (“nearer”, comparative of nēah (“nigh”), the superlative would become next), influenced by Old Norse nær (“near”), both originating from Proto-Germanic *nēhwiz (“nearer”), comparative of the adverb *nēhw (“near”), from the adjective *nēhwaz, ultimately from Pre-Proto-Germanic *h₂nḗḱwos, a lengthened-grade adjective derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- (“to reach”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian nai, noi, näi (“close, near”), Saterland Frisian nai (“close, near”), Dutch na (“close”), naar (“to, towards”), Dutch Low Saxon nao (“after”), German nach (“after”), nahe (“near”), näher (“nearer”), German Low German nao, nå (“towards”), Luxembourgish no (“after”), Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk nær (“close, near”), Swedish när, nära (“close, near”), Gothic 𐌽𐌴𐍈 (nēƕ, “close, near”). See also nigh. Near appears to be derived from (or at the very least influenced by) the North Germanic languages; as opposed to nigh, which continues the inherited West Germanic adjective. Both, however, are ultimately derived from the same Proto-Germanic root: *nēhw (“near, close”).
- Physically close to, in close proximity to.
“There are habitable planets orbiting many of the stars near our Sun.”
“Ts'ai Ch'ien 蔡乾 was born in 1908 in Changhua near Taichung, Taiwan (Formosa).”
- Close to in time.
“The voyage was near completion.”
- Close to in nature or degree.
“His opinions are near the limit of what is acceptable.”
“There was no way Brín felt anything anywhere near what I felt for him. He saw me as a friend.”
verb
Etymology: From Middle English nere, ner, from Old English nēar (“nearer”, comparative of nēah (“nigh”), the superlative would become next), influenced by Old Norse nær (“near”), both originating from Proto-Germanic *nēhwiz (“nearer”), comparative of the adverb *nēhw (“near”), from the adjective *nēhwaz, ultimately from Pre-Proto-Germanic *h₂nḗḱwos, a lengthened-grade adjective derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- (“to reach”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian nai, noi, näi (“close, near”), Saterland Frisian nai (“close, near”), Dutch na (“close”), naar (“to, towards”), Dutch Low Saxon nao (“after”), German nach (“after”), nahe (“near”), näher (“nearer”), German Low German nao, nå (“towards”), Luxembourgish no (“after”), Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk nær (“close, near”), Swedish när, nära (“close, near”), Gothic 𐌽𐌴𐍈 (nēƕ, “close, near”). See also nigh. Near appears to be derived from (or at the very least influenced by) the North Germanic languages; as opposed to nigh, which continues the inherited West Germanic adjective. Both, however, are ultimately derived from the same Proto-Germanic root: *nēhw (“near, close”).
- To come closer to; to approach.
“The ship nears the land.”
“We started back in the same conditions, and for part of the journey ran through semi-darkness, but the sun appeared once again as we neared London.”