nigh
pronunciation
How to pronounce nigh in British English:
UK [naɪ]
How to pronounce nigh in American English:
US [naɪ]
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- Adjective:
- being on the left side
- near in space or time
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- Adverb:
- near in time or place or relationship
- (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; `near' is sometimes used informally for `nearly' and `most' is sometimes used informally for `almost'
Word Origin
- nigh
- nigh: see near
- nigh (adv.)
- "near," Old English neah (West Saxon), neh (Anglian), common Germanic (cognates: Old Saxon nah, Old Frisian nei, Middle Dutch, Dutch na, Old High German nah, German nah, Gothic nehwa), with no cognates outside Germanic. The Old English progression was neah - near - niehsta, for "nigh - near - next." But the comparative near and the superlative nehst (see next) gradually evolved into separate words not felt as related to nigh. New comparative and superlative forms nigher, nighest developed 14c. as phonetic changes obscured the original relationships. As an adjective from Middle English.
Example
- 1. Managing that process is , however , nigh on impossible .
- 2. And when ye shall see jerusalem compassed with armies , then know that the desolation thereof is nigh .
- 3. But if economic policy has been imposed it becomes pretty nigh intolerable .
- 4. As robin drew nigh , he saw that the passenger was a man in years .
- 5. And when the times of chastisement draw nigh and vengeance arises through the kings who share in their guilt and punish them , they themselves also shall be divided as to the truth .