Near
/nɪr/noun
At or to a short distance in space, time, or relationship.
Did you know?Its deep ancestry goes back to a Proto-Indo-European root for ‘near’ that also lies behind words for kinship and closeness in several old language families, showing how proximity and belonging were once the same idea.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*neigʰ-
“to draw near, approach”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*nēhwaz
“near, close”
Old English
OE
nēah / nēar
“near, close, at hand”
Middle English
ME
neer / ner
“near, close”
Modern English
English
near
“at or to a short distance in space, time, or relationship”