Etymology
1. O.E.
near "closer, nearer," comp. of
neah, neh "nigh." Influenced by O.N.
naer "near," it came to be used as a positive form c.1250, and new comp.
nearer developed 1500s (see nigh). Originally an adv., but now supplanted in most such senses by
nearly; it has in turn supplanted correct
nigh as an adjective. In
near and dear (1621) it refers to nearness of kinship. Verb meaning "to draw near" is attested from 1513.
Nearly (1540) originally meant "carefully;" sense of "almost, all but" is from 1683.
Near by "close at hand" is from c.1375.
Near East first attested 1891, in Kipling.
Near-sighted is from 1686.
Near beer "low-alcoholic brew" is from 1909.
2. From Middle English nere, ner, from Old English nēar (“nearer”, comparative of nēah (“nigh”), the superlative would become next), influenced by Old Norse nær (“near”), both originating from Proto-Germanic *nēhwiz (“nearer”), comparative of the adverb *nēhw (“near”), from the adjective *nēhwaz, ultimately from Pre-Proto-Germanic *h₂nḗḱwos, a lengthened-grade adjective derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- (“to reach”).
3. Cognates
4. Cognate with North Frisian nai, noi, näi (“close, near”), Saterland Frisian nai (“close, near”), Dutch na (“close”), naar (“to, towards”), Dutch Low Saxon nao (“after”), German nach (“after”), nahe (“near”), näher (“nearer”), German Low German nao, nå (“towards”), Luxembourgish no (“after”), Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk nær (“close, near”), Swedish när, nära (“close, near”), Gothic 𐌽𐌴𐍈 (nēƕ, “close, near”). See also nigh.
5. Near appears to be derived from (or at the very least influenced by) the North Germanic languages; as opposed to nigh, which continues the inherited West Germanic adjective. Both, however, are ultimately derived from the same Proto-Germanic root: *nēhw (“near, close”).
Verbs referencing "near"
German, old spelling
nähern.