■ adverb
1》 at or to a short distance away.
2》 a short time away in the future.
3》 almost.
■ preposition (also ~ to )
1》 at or to a short distance away from (a place).
2》 a short period of time from.
3》 almost.
4》 similar to.
■ adjective
1》 located a short distance away.
2》 only a short time ahead.
3》 similar.
↘close to being (the thing mentioned).
↘having a close family connection.
4》 located on the ~side of a vehicle. Compare with off (in sense 3).
5》 archaic mean; miserly.
■ verb approach.
Derivatives
~ish adjective
~ness noun
Origin
ME: from ON nær '~er', compar. of ná , corresp. to OE nēah 'nigh'.