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nigh. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
nigh, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
nigh in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
nigh you have here. The definition of the word
nigh will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
nigh, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Middle English neygh, nygh, nye, nyȝ, from Old English nēah, nēh, from Proto-West Germanic *nāhw, from Proto-Germanic *nēhw.
Cognate with Dutch na (“close, near”), German nah (“close, near, nearby”), Luxembourgish no (“nearby, near, close”). See also near.
Pronunciation
Adjective
nigh (comparative nigher or more nigh, superlative nighest or most nigh)
- (archaic, poetic) near, close by
The end is nigh!
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. , London: [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 14, page 311:For with ſuch puiſſance and impetuous maine / Thoſe Champions broke on them, that forſt the fly, / Like ſcattered Sheepe, whenas the Shepherds ſwaine / A Lyon and a Tigre doth eſpye, / With greedy pace forth ruſhing from the foreſt nye.
- a. 1831, Ludovico Ariosto, William Stewart Rose (translator), Orlando Furioso, 2006, Echo Library, page 185,
- He at his head took aim who stood most nigh;
1831, John Knox, The History of the Reformation of Religion in Scotland, page 421:By these and many histories more, it is most evident, that the more nigh salvation and deliverance approach, the more vehement is temptation and trouble.
1834, Davy Crockett, A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett, page 197:The enemy, somewhat imboldened, draws nigher to the fort.
2020 May 20, John Crosse, “Soon to be gone... but never forgotten”, in Rail, page 63, photo caption:The end is nigh (or at least it was supposed to be), but the Pacers in northern England kept plugging away providing a service while awaiting the much-delayed arrival of their replacements.
2020, Keith Getty, Matt Boswell, Jordan Kauflin, Matt Merker, Matt Papa (lyrics and music), “Christ Our Hope in Life and Death”Getty Music Publishing (BMI) / Messenger Hymns (BMI) / Matthew Merker Music (BMI) / Jordan Kauflin Music (BMI) / Getty Music Hymns and Songs (ASCAP) / Love Your Enemies Publishing (ASCAP):Who sends the waves that bring us nigh / Unto the shore, the rock of Christ?
- Not remote in degree, kindred, circumstances, etc.; closely allied; intimate.
Usage notes
Synonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
near, close by
- Arabic: قَرِيب (qarīb)
- Bulgarian: близък (bg) (blizǎk)
- Czech: blízký (cs) m
- Dutch: dichtbij (nl), nabij (nl), naderbij (nl)
- Finnish: likeinen (fi), läheinen (fi)
- French: proche (fr), près (fr)
- German: nahe (de), nah bei
- Greek: κοντά (el) (kontá)
- Hungarian: közel (hu)
- Japanese: 近い (ja)
- Lithuanian: arti (lt), šalia
- Occitan: prèp (oc)
- Persian: نزدیک (fa) (nazdik)
- Polish: bliski (pl) m
- Portuguese: perto (pt), próximo (pt)
- Russian: бли́жний (ru) (blížnij), бли́зкий (ru) (blízkij)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: бли́зу, u blizini
- Roman: blízu (sh), u blizini
- Spanish: cerca (es), cabe (es)
- Swedish: nära (sv), när (sv)
- Turkish: yakın (tr)
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Verb
nigh (third-person singular simple present nighs, present participle nighing, simple past and past participle nighed)
- (transitive, intransitive) to draw nigh (to); to approach; to come near
1924, Thomas Hardy, He Resolves to Say No More:When the charnel-eyed Pale Horse has nighed
Quotations
Alternative forms
Translations
Adverb
nigh (not comparable)
- Almost, nearly.
1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter XII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:So, after a spell, he decided to make the best of it and shoved us into the front parlor. […] It looked like a tomb and smelt pretty nigh as musty and dead-and-gone.
2017 July 16, Brandon Nowalk, “Chickens and dragons come home to roost on Game Of Thrones (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club:Hell of a surprise in the seventh season premiere of Game Of Thrones. Arya Stark, fresh off a nigh Cersei-level ambush of the Frey household, comes upon a small campfire surrounded by fresh-faced red cloaks.
Usage notes
- Nigh is sometimes used as a combining form.
Quotations
Derived terms
Translations
Preposition
nigh
- near; close to
- 1661-5, Thomas Salusbury (translator), Galileo Galilei, Dialogue concerning the Two Chief World Systems, 1632
- When the Moon is horned is it not ever nigh the Sun?
1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:The cottage stood nigh the burn, in a little garden, with lilyoaks and grosart bushes lining the pathway.
Translations
Anagrams
Irish
Etymology
From Middle Irish nigid (“he washes”)
Pronunciation
Verb
nigh (present analytic níonn, future analytic nífidh, verbal noun ní, past participle nite)
- (transitive, intransitive) wash
Conjugation
* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
Related terms
- níochán m (“(act of) washing; wash, laundry; clothes washed or to be washed”)
- na soithí a ní (“do the dishes”)
Further reading
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “nigh”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “nigid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Scottish Gaelic
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle Irish nigid (“he washes”). Compare English nixie (“water sprite”), Ancient Greek νίζω (nízō)).
Verb
nigh (past nigh, future nighidh, verbal noun nighe, past participle nighte)
- wash, cleanse, purify
- bathe
Inflection
Etymology 2
Noun
nigh f (genitive singular nighe)
- daughter
- niece
Further reading
- Edward Dwelly (1911), “nigh”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “nigid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language