nigh

• prep.
• adj.
• adv. ほとんど; 近くで
• n.(ナイ)人名;(英)ナイ.

語源は古英語の neah, near, 比較級 near,最上級 next, PIE* nek, to reach, to reach で、語源的には enough と同じ。

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.

1. I had to pay nigh on forty pounds for it.

私はそれに40ポンド近く使わなければならなかった。

2.The storm must still be nigh ，she thought.

嵐は必ずやってくると彼女は思っていた。

3.They 've lived in that house for nigh on 30 years.

彼らはその家に30年近く住んでいた。

4.Defence was well- nigh impossible against such opponents.

このような相手に遭遇すると、ほとんど防ぎようがない。

5.He was nigh upon 20 miles.

彼は家から20マイルも離れていない。