Etymograph

English

next

Next comes from Old English nīehst ‘nearest, next’, the superlative of nēah ‘nigh’, from Proto-Germanic *nēhwist ‘nearest’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- ‘to reach’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂neḱ-‘to reach’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nēhwaz‘near, nigh’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nēhwas *nēhwist‘near, close’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nēhwist‘nearest, closest’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*nāhwistreconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150nīehst‘nearest, next’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nexte
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1604–1605next

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂neḱ-‘to reach’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nēhwaz‘near, nigh’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nēhwas *nēhwist‘near, close’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nēhwist‘nearest, closest’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*nāhwistreconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150nīehst‘nearest, next’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nexte
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1604–1605next

Earliest quotation: c. 1604–1605, William Shakespeare, All’s Well, that Ends Well: “A prophet I, Madam; and I speak the truth…”

Formed from nigh + -est

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 ‘near’

neighbour, 2 more

through Old English nēah ‘nigh’

near, nigh, 2 more

Today it means

adj Nearest in place or position, having nothing similar intervening; adjoining.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- / next

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