Where does “near-fall” come from?

near-fall (English) comes from English near, from Middle English nere, from Middle Low German nēre, from Proto-West Germanic *neurō, from Proto-Germanic neurô, from Proto-Indo-European negʷʰrós — kidney.

near-fall (English): A wrestling maneuver where shoulders are pinned to the mat for between one and two seconds. Alternatively a two second approach of shoulders to within two inches of the mat also counts for scoring

Definitions

  1. A wrestling maneuver where shoulders are pinned to the mat for between one and two seconds. Alternatively a two second approach of shoulders to within two inches of the mat also counts for scoring

Ancestry of “near-fall”, step by step

near-fall traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English near

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishnearPhysically close; Close in time; Closely...
2Middle Englishnerekidney; near; weren't
3Middle Low Germannēre—
4Proto-West Germanic*neurō—
5Proto-Germanicneurôkidney; testicle
6Proto-Indo-Europeannegʷʰróskidney

via English fall

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishfall"To be moved downwards."; "To move downwards.";...
2Middle Englishfall—
3Old EnglishfeallAlternative form of fiell
4Proto-Germanicfallą—
5Proto-Indo-European(s)pōl-to fall
Every word from Proto-Indo-European negʷʰrós →