Near in space, close; wenden ~ to, to go close to (sb.), approach.

Nearly, almost; just about, all but, virtually: (a) with verbs and participles; also, in apparently pleonastic collocation: ~…al-most; (b) with adjectives and adj. constructions; also, in apparently pleonastic collocation: ~…ner; (c) with adjectives or pronouns expressive of quantity, inclusiveness, or exclusiveness: ~ al, almost all; ~ al-maner, of nearly every kind; ~ ech (everi), nearly every; ~ no (non, no-thing), almost no (none, nothing); also, immediately preceding a prep. phrase which contains an inclusive adj. or pron.: ~ in (of, over, thurgh, to), in (of, over, through, to) almost (all, each, etc.); (d) with numbers: ~ a fourti knightes (a seven daies, a thre mile english), nearly forty knights (seven days, three English miles); ~ an eighte busshels, almost eight bushels; ~ these two yeres, for nearly these two years; ~ thre finger dep, about three fingers deep; also, with numerical adv.: ~ halven-dele lesse, less by almost half; (e) with adverbs and adv. constructions; ~ al, almost entirely; ~ al at ones, almost simultaneously; ~ al-wei, almost always; ~ nou, just now; ~ over-al, nearly everywhere; (f) as an introductory element modifying a clause; (g) with adv. expressions of comparison: ~ also…so, ~ as…as, almost as (bright, fast, much) as.

Closely; folwen ~, to follow the example or teaching of (sb.) closely; holden ~, hold fast (one’s original language), retain firmly.

As quasi-prep.: (a) in space or position: close to (sb.), near to; (b) in time: close to (midday); (c) in fig. phrase: gon ~ simonie, to go almost to the point of simony, virtually commit simony.