OriginFrom a- (“away, off, from, of”) + near (adverb), perhaps partly after afar, anew, etc. Compare earlier (as adverb) anigh.
- Near.
“the measure of misery anear us”
“And soon I heard a roaring wind: / It did not come anear; / But with its sound it shook the sails, / That were so thin and sere.”
“Anear the centre of that northern crest / Stands out a level upland bleak and bare, […]”
Formsanears(present, singular, third-person) · anearing(participle, present) · aneared(participle, past) · aneared(past)