Winter draws nigh (=will start soon).nighnigh /naɪ/ adverb 
There were nigh on 40 people there.2literary near or soon: Winter draws nigh (=will start soon). → well-nigh
WORD ORIGINnigh
Origin:
Old English neahEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- The end of the world is nigh!
- Gone are the days of spending frantically because the end of the financial year was nigh.
- Today the man carrying the placard warning that the end is nigh may well be wearing a white laboratory coat.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Winter draws nigh (=will start soon).COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES It will be well-nigh impossible to raise that amount of money.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
1nigh on old-fashioned almost: Winter draws nigh (=will start soon). formal (=almost impossible)· Policing the entire coastline is well-nigh impossible.
It will be well-nigh impossible to raise that amount of money.· If the system makes too early a commitment on segmentation, recovery will be well nigh impossible. 4.2.2.3.· And everybody knew it was mighty nigh impossible to quit them.· But knowing is not doing, and many people find it well nigh impossible to kick the habit.· Undermanning can make the task nigh impossible on some estates; on the others the approach is far too casual.· The lieutenant was right: it would be nigh impossible to make everyone account for their movements.
There were nigh on 40 people there.2literary near or soon: Winter draws nigh (=will start soon). → well-nigh