What does nigh mean?
Looking for the game? Nigh is also a free daily trivia game: get as near the limit as you dare.
Nigh means near, or nearly. Something nigh is close at hand: “the end is nigh”, “winter draws nigh”. And nigh on means almost: “nigh on forty years”.
Three ways it’s used
- Near in time or place: “The end is nigh.” “Night was drawing nigh.”
- Nearly, almost: “She’s worked there nigh on twenty years.”
- Well-nigh, almost entirely: “Getting tickets was well-nigh impossible.”
Where it comes from
Nigh comes from Old English nēah, near. It has some famous relatives. Near started out as its comparative, and next as its superlative, “nighest”. A neighbor is a “nigh-dweller”: the person who lives near you. In German the word is nah, and in Dutch na.
How to say it
Nigh rhymes with high. The gh is silent, as in night.
Why a game called Nigh?
Because the whole game is getting nigh: as near the limit as you dare, without going over. Name a country with nigh on 20 million people, a building nigh on 1,100 feet, a film nigh on two hours. The nearer you get, the higher Gumnut the koala climbs. Go over and, well, the end is nigh.