next
/nɛkst/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.70 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Nearest in order, succession, or rank; immediately following (or sometimes preceding) in order.
adj
Nearest in relationship. (See also next of kin.)
det
Denotes the one immediately following the current or most recent one.
det
Closest in the future, or closest but one if the closest is very soon; of days, sometimes thought to specifically refer to the instance closest to seven days (one week) in the future.
Example Sentences
- "The man in the next bunk kept me awake all night with his snoring."
- "She lives a mile or two away, in the next village."
- "I live in the next house to the Grand Hotel."
- "Philander went into the next room, which was just a lean-to hitched on to the end of the shanty, and came back with a salt mackerel that dripped brine like a rainstorm."
- "A prophet I, Madam; and I speak the truth the next way: […]"
- "The road to resolution, lies by doubt: "The next way home's the farthest way about.""
Etymology
From Middle English nexte, nexste, nixte, from Old English nīehsta, nīehste, etc., inflected forms of nīehst (“nearest, next”), superlative form of nēah (“nigh”) (the comparative would become near), corresponding to Proto-Germanic *nēhwist (“nearest, closest”); equivalent to nigh + -est. Cognate with Saterland Frisian naist (“next”), Dutch naast (“next to”), German nächster (“next”), Yiddish נעקסט (nekst, “next”), Danish næste (“next”), Elfdalian nest (“by, near”), Icelandic næst (“next”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk neste (“next”), Swedish näst, nästa (“next”), Persian نزد (nazd, “near, with”). Compare typologically Latin proximus (“nearest, next”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Usage
Inflected Forms
neest (alternative, dialectal)
neist (alternative, Scotland)
nex (alternative, archaic)
nex' (alternative, dialectal)
NEXTs (plural)