nearhandadv.prep.adj.
/ˈnɪəhand/, U.S. /ˈnɪrˌ(h)ænd/, Scottish English /ˈnirhand/, Irish English /ˈniːrhænd/ Now chiefly Scottish, Irish English (northern), and English regional (northern).
A. adv.
1. Nearly, almost.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > similarity > [adverb] > almost or nearly
nigheOE
well-nigheOE
forneanc1000
well-nearc1175
almostc1261
nighwhatc1300
nearhandc1350
nigh handa1375
nigh handsa1375
as good asc1390
into (right) littlea1413
unto litea1420
nigh byc1430
nearbyc1485
near handsa1500
as near as1517
mosta1538
next door1542
wellmost1548
all but1590
anewst1590
uneath1590
next to1611
nearlya1616
thereaboutsa1616
welly1615
thereabout1664
within (an) ames-ace ofa1670
anear1675
pretty much1682
three parts1711
newsta1728
only not1779
partly1781
in all but name1824
just about1836
nentes1854
near1855
nar1859
just1860
not-quite1870
nearabouta1878
effectively1884
nigh on1887
the world > relative properties > quantity > approximate quantity or amount > approximately (an amount) [phrase] > nearly (an amount)
nigh thana1200
on (also upon) the point ofc1300
nearhandc1350
nigh byc1430
nearbyc1485
nigh hand1548
fast upon1583
nigh upon1632
near on (also upon)1651
nothing short of1838
nigh but1854
c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) cxviii. 87 (MED) Hij hadden nere honde casten me in erþe.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) 989 (MED) Adam was put vte nerehand nakid.
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xiii. 1 (MED) I awaked þere-with witles nerehande.
c1503 Bevis of Hampton 3560 He had Beuys nerehande slayne.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 718/1 He syghed tyll his herte dyd nerehande bruste.
?1531 R. Whitford tr. Thomas à Kempis Folowynge of Cryste iii. xxii. f. lxxxviiv Sodeynly I fele my selfe nere hande ouercome by a lyght temptacion.
1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xxviii. v. 671 He destroid all the standing corne, which now was neere-hand ripe.
1677 R. Cary Palæologia Chronica 267 This makes near hand a Years difference.
1730 A. Ramsay Twa Cats & Cheese in Fables & Tales 42 Thus he went on, Till baith the haves were near-hand done.
1787 R. Burns Death & Dr. Hornbook xiii, in Poems (new ed.) 59 Sax thousand years are near hand fled.
1817 W. Scott Rob Roy III. ii. 48 His race is near-hand run.
1865 G. MacDonald Alec Forbes I. xii. 91 We're a' keepit in..and nearhan' hungert.
1898 West Cumberland Times (Christmas No.) 24/2 Barney..was nar-hand oot of his senses.
a1908 H. C. Hart MS Coll. Ulster Words in M. Traynor Eng. Dial. Donegal (1953) 195/1 I was near-han' starvin'. It's not near-han' as good as the last.
1944 Scots Mag. May 87 There had been a Deuchars on the croft..near hand as far back as records go.
1996 C. I. Macafee Conc. Ulster Dict. 233/1 Near-hand, nearly, almost.
2019 W. Hershaw in Lallans 94 84 For neirhaund echty years He's aye there when I pass.
2. † c. At close quarters, close up. Obsolete. rare.† d. to go near hand: to be economical. Obsolete. rare.
a. Near, in space or time; close at hand, close by. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > nearness > near by [phrase]
nigh handlOE
of (also from, in) nigh?c1225
at the gate1340
near at handa1400
nearhanda1400
nigh at handa1400
nigh byc1460
nearbyc1480
on the doorstep1957
on the (or one's) doorstep1957
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 2844 Al þe land Þat our a-boute þam lai ner hand.
?a1425 (?c1350) Northern Passion (Rawl.) 85 (MED) A gret fest þan come nerehand, Þat Pasch was named in þat land.
?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) 2221 A larger house was made nerehande.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 566 I have promysed a day isette nerehonde to do batayle wyth a stronge knyght.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xvi. 538 Men of the cost of yngland, That duelt on hummyr or neirhand.
1582 N. Lichefield tr. F. L. de Castanheda 1st Bk. Hist. Discouerie E. Indias 157 (note) They met with spices better cheap, and nerer hand then at Grangalor.
a1600 ( W. Stewart tr. H. Boece Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) I. 13 Of nychtbour men that duelt than neirand by.
1635 J. Swan Speculum Mundi v. §2. 142 Which..makes the black seem to be farre off, and the white neare hand.
1637 S. Rutherford Lett. (1848) cxcii. 379 The day of the Lord is now near-hand.
1653 H. Holcroft tr. Procopius War with Vandals ii. 31 in tr. Procopius Hist. Warres Justinian Uliaris..fled into the Church of a Village near hand.
1795 Montford Castle II. 146 One ran before to a cottage, near hand, to order a bed.
1858 J. W. Carlyle Lett. II. 373 There is no other place nearer hand where I could get any good.
1899 C. M. Stuart Pitcoonans 21 As he gets near-hand, says I to mysel', ‘I dinna ken ye.’
1903 Eng. Dial. Dict. IV. 238/1 [Cumberland] They've tried many a scheme, but have never got nearer hand.
1953 M. Traynor Eng. Dial. Donegal 195/1 When he came nearhand I said [etc.].
1978 J. McGahern Getting Through 53 All the doors of the house were open..but there was nobody in. He knew that they must be nearhand, probably at the hay.
2005 R. Fairnie Scots Tung Wittins (SCOTS) No. 143 The pairish kirk o St Michael, that wis dedicatit in 1242, staunds nearhaund.
b. Close to a place or person; close to doing something. Also with till, unto. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > nearness > near to [preposition]
nighOE
anentOE
atOE
yhendeOE
anewstc1275
nigh handa1300
neara1325
narc1325
againstc1384
nearhanda1400
towardc1400
towards?1447
nearhand?c1450
nearbyc1485
anear1532
anigh1583
under or in the shadow of1853
?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) 1999 As he..nerehande to þe house leend.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) ix. 129 Till the slevach thai com neirhand.
1531–2 in J. Imrie et al. Burgh Court Bk. Selkirk (1960) 160 Jhone Bennat..depones elyk wais or ner hand thairto.
1600 in S. Ree Rec. Elgin (1908) II. 79 To play at the chew within the burgh or outwith neir-hand to the samyn.
1645 S. Rutherford Tryal & Trivmph of Faith (1845) 62 It is good to border with Christ, and to be near-hand to him.
1653 D. Dickson Brief Explic. Other 50 Psalmes 152 A beleever may prove weak in the faith,..and be neer-hand unto the quitting and renouncing of it.
1836 T. C. Haliburton Clockmaker (1837) 1st Ser. xii. 106 A lady that had a plantation near hand to his.
2018 S. Blackhall tr. Akahito in Poeta est in Silva 22 I wish I wis as nearhaun Tae ye as the weet skirt O a satt quine tae her corp.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > nearness > near by [phrase] > closely or at close quarters
nearhand1548
to meet at hard edge1591
toe-to-toe1942
1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. ccviij This battaill was fought so nere hande, that kyng Edwarde was constrained to fight his awne person.
1670 S. Wilson Lassels's Voy. Italy (new ed.) ii. 45 I arriued at the great terrasse..and there saw the thirteen statues of our Sauiour and the twelue Apostles neare hand.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > retaining > sparingness or frugality > be sparing or frugal [verb (intransitive)]
spelec1175
spare1377
to bear (a) low sail1548
to go near hand1592
to live at a low sail1602
1592 L. Andrewes Wonderfull Combate vi. f. 84v This is that that makes the diuell so good a husband and thriftie, and to goe neere hand.
B. prep.
Near to, close to (a place, person, point of time, or action).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > nearness > near to [preposition]
nighOE
anentOE
atOE
yhendeOE
anewstc1275
nigh handa1300
neara1325
narc1325
againstc1384
nearhanda1400
towardc1400
towards?1447
nearhand?c1450
nearbyc1485
anear1532
anigh1583
under or in the shadow of1853
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 758 (MED) Þe nedder nerhand hir gun draw.
?c1418 Will in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 221 Nerhande holichyrche.
?a1425 (?c1350) Northern Passion (Rawl.) 565 (MED) Þai come nerehand þe hyll.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) lxx. 12 God is nerehand his lufers.
a1500 (?a1400) Morte Arthur (1903) 2898 Whan it was nyghed nere-hand none.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 228 I say not, schir, ȝow to repreiff, Bot doutles I go rycht neirhand it.
1577–8 in J. H. Burton Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1878) 1st Ser. II. 666 The said Alexander..wes not present at the doing thairof nor neir hand the samyn.
1633 S. Rutherford Lett. (1863) I. xxix. 104 Your winter-night is near spent, it is near hand the dawning.
1792 New Year's Morning (E.D.D.) 13 They filled it near han' the brim.
1868 G. MacDonald Robert Falconer xxiii We war near-han' the hoose.
1877 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. (at cited word) Don't thou go near-hand Ned.
1915 Kelso Chron. 10 Dec. 4 The folk nearer han the place.
1953 in M. Traynor Eng. Dial. Donegal 195/1 He lives near-hand us.
1954 Fife Herald 27 Oct. 2 We were near haund the bottom o' Hill Street.
1996 C. I. Macafee Conc. Ulster Dict. 233/1 They live near-hand us.
C. adj.
Near, nearby, near-at-hand. nearhand cut n. a short cut (cf. near adj. 6b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > nearness > [adjective]
yhendeeOE
nighOE
hendc1175
nearc1400
propinquec1487
assisting1579
neighbour1579
propinquant1633
near-acquainted1639
indistant1644
nearhand1653
adjourning1816
propinquousa1832
nearby1858
propinquitous1867
1653 J. Goodwin Expos. 9th Chapter Rom. Ep. Ded. sig. A3 They shall be brought by men of learning, parts, and of supposed Godliness, into this Hellish Paradise, (whether it be in expressness of words, or in pregnant and near-hand consequence, it is much the same).
1756 Session Papers in Sc. National Dict. (1965) VI. (at cited word) He always observed People pass to and fro by this Road, as a near-hand Cut.
1835 J. Clare Rural Muse 158 The near-hand stubble-field..Showed the dimmed blaze of poppies.
1883 W. Thompson Leddy May 29 Bairns frae the near-haun' streets.
1928 W. C. Fraser Yelpin' Stane 106 The Glenbirnie shooters tak' a near-han' cut ayont the hill yonder.
1953 in M. Traynor Eng. Dial. Donegal 195/1 The near-hand one's the best.
1958 W. Hand MS Coll. in Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. (1996) III. 765/1 A far off ring around the moon is [i.e. foretells] a near hand storm.
1980 Eng. World-wide 1 i. 124 Its ringin words and phrases can bangslap out twa-three nearhand pages o Sir James Wilson's Lowland Scotch.
Derivatives
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > similarity > [adverb] > almost or nearly
nigheOE
well-nigheOE
forneanc1000
well-nearc1175
almostc1261
nighwhatc1300
nearhandc1350
nigh handa1375
nigh handsa1375
as good asc1390
into (right) littlea1413
unto litea1420
nigh byc1430
nearbyc1485
near handsa1500
as near as1517
mosta1538
next door1542
wellmost1548
all but1590
anewst1590
uneath1590
next to1611
nearlya1616
thereaboutsa1616
welly1615
thereabout1664
within (an) ames-ace ofa1670
anear1675
pretty much1682
three parts1711
newsta1728
only not1779
partly1781
in all but name1824
just about1836
nentes1854
near1855
nar1859
just1860
not-quite1870
nearabouta1878
effectively1884
nigh on1887
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1897–1973) 116 In fayth we are nere handys outt of the doore.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adv.prep.adj.c1350