释义 |
well-near, adv. Obs. exc. dial. [Early ME. wel-ner, f. well adv. 18 + near adv.2] = well-nigh.
c1200Ormin 15517 An wif, þatt wass þurrh blodless flod Well ner all brohht to dæþe. a1300Cursor M. 4760 Þan iacob and his suns warn For defaut wel ner for-farn. 1338R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 191 Welnere he com to late. 13..E.E. Allit. P. B. 1585 So was þe wyȝe wytles, he wed wel ner. c1460Towneley Myst. xiii. 387 Welner at the fyrst cok. c1470Henry Wallace i. 438 He for wo weyle ner worthit to weide. a1547Surrey in Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 6 He lettes me to pursue a conquest welnere wonne. c1578in Hakluyt's Voy. (1600) III. 68 The day was welneere spent. 1623Favine Theat. Honour ii. i. 69 Who liued (well-neare) at the same time as the Geographer. 1627Drayton Nimphidia 471 Who then had well-neere crack'd her spleene With very extreame laughter. 1656Heylin Surv. France 298 Well-neer three miles in circuit. 1701W. Wotton Hist. Rome iv. 60 The Public Stock was well near exhausted. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 45 The last Time of these two had well near been fatal to me. 1869Stewart Rhymes 5 (E.D.D.) Trees bow'd weel-near uprootin'. 1880W. Cornw. Gloss. s.v., There were well-near a hundred people in the field. 1881Leicestersh. Gloss., Well-near, an occasional var. of Welly, but not nearly so common. |