# almost / near



## ThomasK

In Dutch, English and French there is a link: _*bij-na*_ (probably close-close literally), _*nearly*_, _*à peu près*_. There is another one: _* om en bij*_ (around and near),  and _*omstreeks*_ (in the region of, when referring to time)... I wonder whether you use other metaphors for this...


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## Testing1234567

If something is *almost* finished, then its progress is *near* the end. This is how I link the two words together.


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## bibax

Czech: *téměř (takměř)* = almost;

*takměř* < *tak měřu;
the phrase "tak měřu" means "so I measure (size up)";

*Téměř nikdo nedokáže rozluštit příslovce "téměř".* = Almost nobody can decipher the adverb "téměř".

Presumable original meaning:

Nobody, so I measure (am measuring), can decipher ...
So I size up, nobody can decipher ...

It's strange but the adverb _téměř_ (and bookish _takměř_) has exactly the same meaning like the English _almost_.

Slovak is similar: *takmer, temer*


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## Testing1234567

According to fr.wikt, *téměř* < též (also) + měř (*míra* measure (n.); *měřit* to measure (v.)), literally "of the same measure".


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## bibax

It doesn't explain *takměř* of the same meaning. According to several etymological dictionaries the adverb_ takměř _is abbreviated phrase _'tak měřu'_, where _měřu _is the 1st person sing. present form of _měřiti_ (= to measure), i.e. "so I measure" or "so I am measuring".

The form *téměř* could originally mean _'té měřu' = _"so I measure/am measuring".

"of the same measure" is _'téže míry'_ which seems to be more distant from _téměř_.


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## ThomasK

Could  we interpret this verb as meaning something like  "estimate" as well???


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## bibax

*Měřiti* means also *to size up* = _to make an estimate, opinion, or judgment of someone or something_.

Like in: I met a bear, ... he looked at me, I looked at him, *he sized up me, I sized up him*.


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## ThomasK

So, indeed, more like estimating than really measuring. Could your verb and 'measure' be linked etymologically? Not self-eivdent, but...


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## bibax

*measure:* from French mesurer, Latin metiri "to measure," from PIE root **me-* "to measure";

Old English cognate mæð, metan > to mete (arch. to measure); German messen < *met-* (metan);

The Slavic languages extended the PIE root *me-* to *mer-* (Cz. měřiti, Russ. мерить).


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## ThomasK

So, indeed. Thanks for the information!


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## ThomasK

German 'fast' does not seem linked with "near", the original meaning seems to be more like "stuck, tight, narrow", and shifted in a different direction after that. Yet, somehow "narrow" (eng) might be interpreted as somehow "near" too, I'd say.


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## momai

In Arabic ,these two words are linked to each other :
Near is بالقرب bil-qurb (root: q-r-b  "to approach")
Almost is تقريباَ taqriiban
Close is قريب qariib 
P.S. I seem to have confused "near" and "close",but still all three words are related.


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## ThomasK

Really? I had not thought "near" could be a key concept when referring to approximation. Oh, oh, but there we go again: _*approximately*_ contains proximus, and that means "close"!!! I am wondering whether that could also hold for Chinese and Japanese...


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## Testing1234567

Chinese:

Near = 近
Almost = 近乎

However there are 1,000,000 more ways to say "almost" which do not use "近".


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## apmoy70

Greek:

Almost: *«Σχεδόν»* [sçeˈðon] (adv.) < Classical adv. *«σχεδόν» skʰĕdón* --> _almost, near of place/time_ < from the aorist active infinitive *«σχεῖν» skʰe̯în* (of v. *«ἔχω» ékʰō*--> _to have, possess, hold, retain_) + adverbial suffix *«-δόν» -dón* (PIE *seǵʰ- _to hold, have_ cf Skt. सहते (sahate), _to bear, endure, tolerate_, Proto-Germanic *segaz > Ger. Sieg, Eng. sig, Dt. zege, Swe. seger).

Near: *«Κοντά»* [konˈda] (adv.) --> _nigh, near in space, time, relation_, derives from the Classical deverbal nominal *«κοντός, -τή, -τόν» kŏntós* (masc.), *kŏntḗ* (fem.), *kŏntón* (neut.) --> _short_ < Classical v. *«κεντέω/κεντῶ» kĕntéō* (uncontracted)/*kĕntô* (contracted) --> _to sting, goad_ (PIE *ḱent- _to sting_ cf Alb. çandër, _pole_); the meaning of short for «κοντός» which had as primary meanings _pole, crutch, staff_ arose by reanalysis of the compounds with first element the combinatory «κοντο-» where it was taken as short.

In MoGr I'd say that «σχεδόν» is more of a temporal adverb, while «κοντά» is a place adverbial.


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## ThomasK

@Testing1234567: May I ask what kind of (other) metaphors you use to express the concept then? Just a few, not all 7 million... ;-)



momai said:


> In Arabic ,these two words are linked to each other :
> Near is بالقرب bil-qurb (root: q-r-b  "to approach")
> Almost is تقريباَ taqriiban
> Close is قريب qariib
> P.S. I seem to have confused "near" and "close",but still all three words are related.


I think English speakers will often use "close to" when meaning "almost"...


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## ilocas2

Testing1234567 said:


> According to fr.wikt, *téměř* < též (also) + měř (*míra* measure (n.); *měřit* to measure (v.)), literally "of the same measure".



Czech etymological dictionary says the same.


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## bibax

ilocas2 said:


> Czech etymological dictionary says the same.


 Which one?

Machek's etymological dictionary, Stručný etymologický slovník českého jazyka (1966, 1973) and older Stručný etymologický slovník jazyka československého (1933) say:

téměř, takměř (= almost) < "tak měřu" (= "so I measure", perhaps in the sense "so I size it up");


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## Testing1234567

ThomasK said:


> @Testing1234567: May I ask what kind of (other) metaphors you use to express the concept then? Just a few, not all 7 million... ;-)



Almost:
幾乎 - 幾 almost; 乎 no idea what this means
差點 - 差 fall short of; 點 a little bit
差點兒 - 差 fall short of; 點 a little bit; 兒 _diminutive_
差一點 - 差 fall short of; 一點 a little bit
差不多 - 差 fall short of; 不 not; 多 much
七七八八 - 七 seven; 八 eight [referring to having done 7/10 ~ 8/10 of the progress]
就嚟 (Cantonese) - 就 right away; 嚟 (Cantonese) come [lit. coming right away]
咁滯 (Cantonese) - 咁 (Cantonese) to such an extent; 滯 no idea what this means
爭啲 (Cantonese) - 爭 (Cantonese) fall short of; 啲 (Cantonese) a little bit


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## igusarov

Russian.
The most straightforward translations of "almost" and "near" seem etymologically unrelated...
However, there are some words and expressions that exhibit relation between proximity in time and space:

"вот" = "Here is", "This is" - used about an object in close proximity, like in "Here is John".
"вот-вот" = "Any minute now".

"Не за горами" = "in foreseeable future". Literal translation refers, however, to the distance: "not behind the mountains".

"Приблизить" - verb with literal meaning "to bring closer". But it is just as good in the context "to make something happen sooner".
Other meanings include "to make someone one's trusted person (a confident, a favorite)" and even "to zoom in" in photography.


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## ger4

ThomasK said:


> German 'fast' does not seem linked with "near", the original meaning seems to be more like "stuck, tight, narrow", and shifted in a different direction after that.


 I think it's true that 'fast' is the closest German equivalent (or at least the most frequently used one) but there are two adverbs where the link is more obvious: _beinahe_ and _nahezu, nahe _meaning 'close', 'near'.


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## bibax

Czech has also some synonyms with more obvious etymology.

For example, adv. *bezmála* < bez mála = lit. _without little_;

Čekal jsem *téměř* hodinu. = _I was waiting *almost* one hour._
Čekal jsem *bezmála* hodinu. = _lit. I was waiting *without-little* one hour.
_
However the adverb bezmála is not so universal like téměř, probably because the meaning of bezmála is so obvious, whereas téměř is quite obscure.


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## Encolpius

*Hungarian *

*közel *1. near, nearby 2. about, around (közel 1000 forint - about, almost 1000 Forints)


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## Armas

Finnish:

_lähes_ "almost"
_lähellä_ "near"

_liki_ "almost", "near"

_melkein_ "almost"
(obsolete) _melkeä_ "quite big" (from Russian мелкий "small")
_melko_ "somewhat, quite"

_miltei_ < _miltä _"from what, which" +_ ei_ "doesn't, not"

The adjective _vajaa_ "shy, not full" is more or less synonymous.


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