near-miss
UK[ˌnɪə ˈmɪs]US[ˌnɪr ˈmɪs]
n
A situation where something almost hits something else but avoids it by a very small margin.
n
A result that is almost but not quite successful.
Morpheme Breakdown
near
miss
near
close
miss
failure to hit
Etymology
The compound "near-miss" is a modern English formation, originating in military and aviation contexts of the early 20th century to describe a projectile or aircraft that narrowly avoids a collision. The logic of the term is somewhat paradoxical, as it describes a "miss" that was "near" to being a hit. The first element, "near," traces back to the Old English concept of closeness, while "miss" originates from a Germanic root conveying error or failure. The combination semantically evolved from a literal description of a narrowly avoided accident to also metaphorically describe any close but unsuccessful attempt or outcome.
Analysis
Structure: near (close) + miss (failure to hit)
- near: From Old English nēar (comparative of nēah "nigh, close"), of Germanic origin. Functions as an adverb/adjective meaning "at or to a short distance."
- miss: From Old English missan "to fail to hit, miss (a target); fail in an attempt," from Proto-Germanic missijaną "to go wrong." Functions as a noun meaning "a failure to hit or attain."
Examples
The two aircraft had a terrifying near-miss over the airport.
Their experiment was a near-miss; it produced interesting data but didn't prove the hypothesis.
The bullet was a near-miss, whizzing past his ear.