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Origin and history of next

next(adj.)

"nearest in place, position, rank, or turn," Middle English nexte, from Old English niehsta, nyhsta (West Saxon), nesta (Anglian) "nearest in position or distance, closest in kinship," superlative of neah (West Saxon), neh (Anglian) "nigh;" from Proto-Germanic *nekh- "near" + superlative suffix *-istaz. Cognate with Old Norse næstr, Dutch naast "next," Old High German nahisto "neighbor," German nächst "next."

In reference to time by c. 1200. Adverbial ("next to, immediately after; almost, within a little of") and prepositional ("nearest to, immediately adjacent to") uses are from c. 1200. Phrase the next man "a typical person" is from 1857. Next-best "second best" is by 1670s.

Entries linking to next

anext(adv.)

"next to," c. 1400, from a- (1) + next.

next-door(adv.)

also nextdoor, "in or at the next house," 1570s, from noun phrase next door "nearest or adjoining house" (late 15c.), from next + door. As an adjective from 1660s. Noun meaning "the people living next door" is from 1855. Middle English dwellen at dores (late 14c.) meant "live next door."

nigh(adv.)

"near, nearby, close together, adjacent," Middle English neigh, from Old English neah (West Saxon, Kentish), neh (Anglian), from Proto-Germanic *naehwa- (source also of Old Saxon nah, Old Frisian nei, Middle Dutch, Dutch na, Old High German nah, German nah, Gothic nehwa), of uncertain origin, with no cognates outside Germanic. The Old English progression was neah - near - niehsta, for "nigh - nigher - nighest." But the comparative near and the superlative nehst (see next) gradually evolved into separate words that were no longer felt as related to nigh. New comparative and superlative forms nigher, nighest developed 14c. as phonetic changes obscured the original relationships. As an adjective and preposition in Middle English.

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    adjacent
    early 15c., "contiguous, bordering; close, nearby," from Latin adiacentem (nominative adiacens) "lying at," present participle of adiacere "lie at, border upon, lie near," from ad "to" (see ad-) + iacēre "to lie, rest," related to iacere "to throw; to lay" (from PIE root *ye- "to
    proximate
    1590s (implied in proximately), "closely neighboring; next, immediate, without intervention of a third," from Late Latin...proximatus, past participle of proximare "to draw near, approach," from proximus "nearest, next; most direct; adjoining,"...figuratively "latest, most recent; next, following; most faithful," superlative of prope "near" (see propinquity)....Meaning "coming next in a chain of causation" is by 1660s. Related: Proximately....
    joust
    "to joust, tilt, fight in single combat," from Vulgar Latin *iuxtare "to approach, come together, meet," originally "be next...to," from Latin iuxta "beside, next to, very near," from suffixed (superlative) form of PIE root *yeug- "to join."...
    ensue
    follow close upon, come afterward," from Late Latin insequere, from Latin insequi "to pursue, follow, follow after; come next...Early 15c. as "follow (as a consequence), to result;" mid-15c. as "to follow" in time or space, "to come or appear next,...
    second
    c. 1300, "next in order, place, time, etc., after the first; an ordinal numeral; being one of two equal parts into which...a whole is regarded as divided;" from Old French second, secont, and directly from Latin secundus "following, next in time...From late 14c. as "other, another" (as in "No Second Troy"), also "next in order in rank, quality, or importance."...Second-degree in a general sense of "next to lowest on a scale of four" in Arostotelian qualities is from Middle English;...
    succeed
    late 14c., succeden, intransitive and transitive, "come next after, follow after another; take the place of another, be elected...under; take the place of," also "go from under, mount up, ascend," hence "get on well, prosper, be victorious," from sub "next...
    girl
    Girl next door as a type of unflashy attractiveness is recorded by 1953 (the title of a 20th Century Fox film starring June...There, as the latest movie colony "girl next door," sunny-faced Doris soon became a leading movie attraction as well as the..."She's the girl next door, all right," said one Hollywood admirer. "Next door to the bank."...
    side
    Old English side "flanks of a person, the long part or aspect of anything," from Proto-Germanic *sīdō (source also of Old Saxon sida, Old Norse siða, "flank; side (of meat); coast," Danish side, Swedish sida, Middle Dutch side, Dutch zidje, Old High German sita, German Seite), fr
    felon
    c. 1300, "one who deceives or commits treason; one who is wicked or evil; evil-doer," used of Lucifer and Herod, from Old French felon "evil-doer, scoundrel, traitor, rebel, oath-breaker, the Devil" (9c.), from Medieval Latin fellonem (nominative fello) "evil-doer," which is of u

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