near at hand

phrase

Close or nearby, in terms of distance.

OriginMiddle English neyr at hand →
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Meanings

phrase
  1. Close or nearby, in terms of distance.

    Standing on the mountain above Caerphilly, one may reflect upon the gap where once stood Llanbradach Viaduct, and look near at hand upon the restored ruins of Caerphilly Castle; man labours to rebuild the mediaeval whilst he ruthlessly scraps the modern.

    1939 September, D. S. Barrie, “The Railways of South Wales”, in Railway Magazine, page 165
  2. Close, in terms of time.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishneyr at hand
  2. Englishnear at hand

From Middle English neyr at hand, nere atte hande, equivalent to near + at + hand.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

near at hand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/near%20at%20hand

MLA

“near at hand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/near%20at%20hand. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “near at hand,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/near%20at%20hand.

Source: near at hand on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.