English
fornigh
Fornigh comes from Old English fornēah ‘very nearly, almost, about’, from nēah ‘close, near’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- ‘to reach’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂neḱ-‘to reach’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nēhwaz‘nigh, near, close’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nēhw‘near, close’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*nāhw‘near, close’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150nēah‘close, near’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150fornēah‘very nearly, almost, about’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forneh
- Englishtodayfornigh
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂neḱ-‘to reach’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nēhwaz‘nigh, near, close’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nēhw‘near, close’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*nāhw‘near, close’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150nēah‘close, near’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150fornēah‘very nearly, almost, about’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500forneh
- Englishtodayfornigh
Proto-Indo-European *pro- ‘before, in front of’
Proto-Germanic *fra- ‘off, away’
Proto-West Germanic *fra- ‘forms verbs with the sense of "away from" or…’
English for-
Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- ‘to reach’
…
Proto-Germanic *nēhw ‘near, close’
Proto-West Germanic *nāhw ‘near, close’
Old English nēah ‘close, near’
Middle English neygh ‘Physically near or adjacent’
English nigh
Linked words
through Proto-Germanic *nēhwaz ‘nigh, near, close’
through Old English nēah ‘close, near’
Today it means
adv Very near
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- / fornigh