Etymology Explorer › Irish

Where does “nigh” come from?

nigh (Irish) comes from Middle Irish nigid, from Old Irish nigid, from Proto-Celtic nigyeti, from Proto-Indo-European neygʷ- — to wash.

nigh (Irish): wash

Definitions

  1. wash

Ancestry of “nigh”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Irishnigidhe washes
2Old Irishnigidto wash
3Proto-Celticnigyeti—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanneygʷ-to wash

Words derived from “nigh”

  • in-nite
  • nigheann
  • donite
  • níonn
  • nimis
  • ním
  • nímid
Every word from Proto-Indo-European neygʷ- →