Nigh means near or close, either in distance or in time. You might hear someone say “the end is nigh” when something is about to finish, or “nigh impossible” when describing a task that's extremely difficult but not quite impossible.

This old-fashioned word appears often in classic literature and poetry. In The Night Before Christmas, Santa's arrival is described as nigh. When sailors spotted land after weeks at sea, they might have shouted, “Land is nigh!”

The word survives today mostly in certain phrases. When something is nigh on a certain amount, it's almost that much: “The ancient tree was nigh on 300 years old.” When something is well-nigh a certain way, it's very nearly that way: “Finding a four-leaf clover in that field was well-nigh impossible.”

You'll rarely hear people say “the store is nigh” in everyday conversation. They would say “the store is nearby” or “near” instead. But nigh adds a poetic, dramatic feeling to writing and speech, which is why it endures in stories, hymns, and formal language.