Emily Dickinson Lexicon
Dictionary: NEAP'-TIDE – NEC'ES-SA-RY
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NEAP'-TIDE, n.
Low tide. [See Neap.]
NEAR, a. [Sax. ner or neara, nigher. This seems to be a contracted word, from nigher, the comparative of neh, nih or nieh, D. naauw, G. nahe, Sw. nar, Dan. nær, W. nig, strait, narrow; nigiaw, to narrow.]
- Nigh; not far distant in place, time or degree. Regularly, near should be followed by to, but this is often omitted. We say, a house stands near a river; a friend sits near me; the man fell and was near destruction. And Jacob went near to Isaac his father. Gen. xxvii. Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Rom. xiii.
- Closely related by blood. She is thy father's near kinswoman. Lev. xviii.
- Not distant in affection, support or assistance; present; ready; willing to aid. Call upon the Lord while he is near. Is. lv.
- Intimate; united in close ties of affection or confidence; as, a near friend.
- Dear; affecting one's interest or feelings; as, a near concern. My nearest life. Shak.
- Close; parsimonious.
- Close; not loose, free, or rambling; as, a version near the original.
- Next to one; opposed to off; as, the near horse or ox in a team.
NEAR, adv.
Almost; within a little. It is near twelve o'clock. The payment of such a sum would go near to ruin him. Addison.
NEAR, v.t.
To approach; to come nearer; as, the ship neared the land; a seaman's phrase.
NEAR'EST, a. [superl. of near.]
Shortest; most direct; as, the nearest way to London. So we use nearer for shorter. [This use of these words is not correct, but very common.]
NEAR'LY, adv.
- At no great distance; not remotely.
- Closely; as, two persons nearly related or allied.
- Intimately; pressingly; with a close relation to one's interest or happiness. It nearly concerns us to preserve peace with our neighbor.
- Almost; within a little. The fact is nearly demonstrated.
- In a parsimonious or niggardly manner.
NEAR'NESS, n.
- Closeness; small distance. The nearness of a place to a market enhances the value of lands.
- Close alliance by blood; propinquity; as, the nearness of brothers and sisters, parents and children.
- Close union by affection; intimacy of friendship.
- Parsimony; closeness in expenses. Bacon.
NEAR'-SIGHT-ED, a.
Short-sighted; seeing at a small distance only.
The state of being short-sighted.
NEAT, a. [It. netto; Sp. neto; Fr. net; Arm. neat or neet; L. nitidus, niteo, to shine, to be clean, fair or fine; W. nîth, pure; nithiaw, to purify, to winnow.]
- Very clean; free from foul or extraneous matter; as, neat clothes. The vessels are kept neat; the woman keeps her house very neat.
- Pure; free from impure words and phrases; as, a neat style.
- Cleanly; preserving neatness; as, a neat woman.
- Pure; unadulterated; as neat wine. [Obs.] Chapman.
- Free from tawdry appendages and well adjusted; as, a neat dress.
- Clear of the cask, case, bag, box, &c.; as, neat weight. It is usually written net or nett.
NEAT, n. [Sax. neat, neten, niten, nyten; Sw. nöt; Dan. nöd. In Sax. geneat is a herdsman. In Spanish, ganado is cattle, and vermin; doubtless the same word with a prefix. In W. cnud is a group. Neat coincides with the root of need y in elements, and if connected with it, the sense is a herd or collection, from crowding, pressing; but this is doubtful.]
- Cattle of the bovine genus, as bulls, oxen and cows. In America, this word is used in composition, as in neat's tongue, neat's foot oil, and tautologically in neat cattle.
- A single cow. Tusser.
NEAT'HERD, n. [Sax. neathyrd.]
A person who has the care of cattle; a cow-keeper. Dryden.
NEAT'LY, adv.
- With neatness; in a neat manner; in a cleanly manner; as, a garment neatly washed.
- With good taste; without tawdry ornaments; as, a lady neatly dressed.
- Nicely; handsomely; as, a vessel neatly gilt.
NEAT'NESS, n.
- Exact cleanliness; entire freedom from foul matter; as, the neatness of a floor or of a garment.
- Purity; freedom from ill chosen words; as, the neatness of style.
- Freedom from useless or tawdry ornaments; with good adjustment Of the several parts; as, the neatness of a dress.
NEAT'RESS, n. [from neat, cattle.]
A female who takes care of cattle. [Not used in the United States.] Warner.
NEB, n. [Sax. neb or nebbe; Ice. nebbe or nef; Dan. neb, næb, and with a prefix, snabel; Sw. näf; D. neb, sneb; G. schnabel. In the different dialects it signifies a bill, beak, the nose or the face, from extending or shooting. See Class Nb, No. 2, 3, 6,8, 10, 13, 15, 21, 24. It is also written nib.]
The nose; the beak of a fowl; the bill; the mouth.
NEB'NEB, n.
The East Indian name of Bablah.
NEB'U-LA, or NEB'ULE, n. [L. nebula; Gr. νεφος, νεφελη; G. nebel; D. nevel; Ir. neall, neul, by contraction; It. nebbia; Sp. niebla, fog, mist; Sans. nabha, a cloud. Probably the primary sense is thick or mixed.]
- A white spot, or a slight opacity of the cornea. Cyc.
- In astronomy, a cluster of fixed stars, not distinguishable from each other or scarcely visible to the naked eye, and exhibiting a dim hazy light, appearing like dusky specks or clouds through the telescope. Cyc.
- [In heraldry, it is used, to describe a line drawn with undulations resembling the form of clouds; or a shield or trunk charge divided by several such lines drawn across it. E. H. B.]
NEB-U-LOS'I-TY, n. [from nebulous.]
The state of being cloudy or hazy. Med. Repos.
NEB'U-LOUS, a. [L. nebulosus.]
- Cloudy; hazy. [See Nebule.]
- Resembling a small cloud or collection of vapors.
NEC-ES-SA'RI-AN, n. [See Necessary.]
An advocate for the doctrine of philosophical necessity; more properly Necessitarian. Priestley.
NEC'ES-SA-RIES, n. [plur. from necessary.]
Things necessary for some purpose; as, the necessaries of life. Locke.
NEC'ES-SA-RI-LY, adv.
- By necessity; in such a manner, that it can not be otherwise. Truth is necessarily opposite to falsehood. A square is necessarily different from a circle.
- Indispensably. Most men are necessarily occupied in procuring their subsistence.
- By unavoidable consequence. Certain inferences necessarily result from particular premises.
The state of being necessary.
NEC'ES-SA-RY, a. [L. necessarius.]
- That must be; that can not be otherwise; indispensably requisite. It is necessary that every effect should have a cause.
- Indispensable; requisite; essential; that can not be otherwise without preventing the purpose intended. Air is necessary to support animal life; food is necessary to nourish the body; holiness is a necessary qualification for happiness; health is necessary to the enjoyment of pleasure; subjection to law is necessary to the safety of persons and property.
- Unavoidable; as, a necessary inference or consequence from facts or arguments.
- Acting from necessity or compulsion; opposed to free. Whether man is a necessary or a free agent is a question much discussed.