Where does “nigh” come from?

Nigh comes from Middle English neygh, Old English nēah, Proto-Germanic nēhw and nēhwaz, and Proto-Indo-European h₂neḱ-, which originally meant close or near in spatial terms.

nigh (English): near, close by; Not remote in degree, kindred,...

Definitions

  1. near, close by; Not remote in degree, kindred,...

Ancestry of “nigh”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishneyghPhysically near or adjacent; Figuratively near;...
2Old Englishnēahnigh, near; near
3Proto-West Germanic*nāhwnear, close

Words derived from “nigh”

Every word from Proto-West Germanic *nāhw →Every word from Old English nēah →Every word from Middle English neygh →