well-nigh

См. также в других словарях:

• well-nigh — O.E. wel neah, from WELL (Cf. well) (adv.) + NIGH (Cf. nigh) …   Etymology dictionary

• Well-nigh — adv. Almost; nearly. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

• well-nigh — adv old fashioned almost ▪ It will be well nigh impossible to raise that amount of money …   Dictionary of contemporary English

• well-nigh — adverb INFORMAL nearly but not completely: It would be well nigh impossible to get there in less than an hour …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

• well-nigh — meaning ‘nearly, almost wholly or entirely’, has been in continuous use since the Old English period but is now usually regarded as literary or archaic in tone: • If your country is the size of a postage stamp, your population is unsophisticated… …   Modern English usage

• well-nigh — *nearly, almost, approximately …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

• well-nigh — well′ nigh′ adv. very nearly; almost • Etymology: bef. 1150 …   From formal English to slang

• well-nigh — ► ADVERB chiefly literary ▪ almost …   English terms dictionary

• well-nigh — [wel′nī′] adv. very nearly; almost …   English World dictionary

• well-nigh — also well nigh ADV: ADV adj Well nigh means almost, but not completely or exactly. Finding a rug that s just the colour, size and price you want can be well nigh impossible. ...a hierarchical structure that was well nigh unassailable. Syn:… …   English dictionary

• well-nigh — adverb BrE formal or AmE almost, but not quite: The company has existed for well nigh 200 years. | well nigh impossible: Getting them to agree would be well nigh impossible …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English