| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| nigh (adv., adj.) |
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| although it has a literary past, is mainly a dialectal word today, as in I’m nigh starved; Don’t go nigh him; The nigh horse is lame. It means “nearly, almost” or “near,” and it is generally archaic in Standard English except in the clichés well-nigh and nigh on[to], as in We were well-nigh worn out; It was nigh on [onto, unto] midnight. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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