adj. used as compar. of 1 ocus, acus near ; also nes(s)o, nes(s)u; superl. nes(s)a, nes(s)am. Nearer , folld. by DO.

(a) of space: is nesa do geintib, Wb. 2b17 . nesso assa nesso nearer and nearer, 12b34a. inna hí ata nessa (gl. inferiora), BCr. 44a1 . superl. (a) hi telaig ba nessam dind slog, Ml. 55c1 . archaṅgeil . . . is nessam do naebaiṅglib next to the holy angels, SR 536 , cf. 538 , 540 , 542 . nesaim, 534 . imdae as nesam do Conaire, BDD 128. nem . . . as nessamh duibh the heaven nearest you, Ériu ii 108 z . itt é ata nessom d'Uíb Néill (= who border on), ZCP viii 317.5 . na tíre ata nesam duín, TTr.² 125. bidba na crich ba nessom duit, TBC-LL¹ 9. (b) tri grád as nessu dochum talman the three ranks (of the Celestial Hierarchy) nearest earth, SR 662. dorus ind nime as nesu ille the nearest gate of heaven, FA 15. ind fuithairbe ba nessu don tig, FB 20.

(b) of time: bes nipe nessu éc do suidiu oldás dait-siu perhaps death is no nearer him, FB 94. cid ni is nesa dún innosa? what is going to happen to us? Lat. Lives 101.10 (= dic nobis aliquid . . . quod citius eveniet) = Lism. L. 3344 . cid as nesu dúin de-sin?, TFerbe 783 . is neasa ar chách comurchra nearer and nearer is dissolution, Ériu iv 158.6 . fán Nodloig-si as nesa dhún this coming Christmas, Ériu v 54.29 . tanic isin domnach ba nesa iartain the following Sunday, RC xlvi 230.24 . Cf. further: truagh nach oirne ní as neasa | doní an Coimdhe an cairdeas-sa `a pity that He shows not His friendship more recently to us!' (? that He shows not this friendship more closely, i.e. particularly to me), Dán Dé xxi 13 . déanam síodh sul tí tusa; | usa do dhíol ní as neasa `sin is easier to atone for while yet recent', vii 16 .

(c) of fig. relations: is nessa do inni lemm I deem it nearer the meaning, Wb. 4b17 , cf. Ml. 46c18 , 54a11 . cid is nesem dúin ifesta? what is the next (most necessary) thing for us (to do) ? MacCongl. 103.17 . is de athchomarc is nesam duin diar cobhair the most needful (likely) to help us, ACL iii 294 § 11 , cf. Ériu iv 138.19 .

Hence in legal phraseology nes(s)am = what is needful, indispensable , used as a subst., see Cóic Con. p. 63. ` lāngilli risin nésam ┐ lethgille risin nemnes[e]am' . . . nesam sin ric a les duine do caithem fo cetoir ┐ nochan fuil a sechnam aici . . . ┐ is ed is nemnesam ann .i. ní nā rig a les duine do caithem fo cetoir, ib. 33 § 33 (i.e. `nesam' is what a man requires for immediate use and cannot dispense with). nesam toisgedha (what is needed for immediate compensation), ib. § 34 . nesam cina (what is needed to pay immediate compensation), ib.