Anigh

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /əˈnai/

Definitions

1. Close to reaching a particular place or point, nearly arriving or happening
2. Almost at a certain position or time, showing proximity in space or occurrence
3. At or near to a specific moment or location, indicating closeness or imminence

Etymology: "Anigh" is an archaic form of "nigh," with a prefix that once did real work. The "a-" comes from Old English "on," meaning "in" or "on," so the word originally conveyed a sense of being in the vicinity of something. "Nigh" itself is an old word for "near," and the pair survived in English largely through poetry and older prose, where writers reached for it as a more formal alternative to "near." The combination belongs to a common pattern in English. Many older words took the "a-" prefix to form adverbs and adjectives describing a state or position, as in "aside," "aboard," and "ashore." In "anigh," the prefix attaches to a base that already meant "near," so the word is essentially a doubled expression of proximity, with each element reinforcing the other.

Synonyms: near, close, adjacent, next, proximate

Antonyms: far, distant, remote, away, separate