adv. Obs. exc. dial. [Early ME. wel-ner, f. WELL adv. 18 + NEAR adv.2] = WELL-NIGH.
c. 1200. Ormin, 15517. An wif, þatt wass þurrh blodless flod Well ner all brohht to dæþe.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 4760. Þan iacob and his suns warn For defaut wel ner for-farn.
1338. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 191. Welnere he com to late.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 1585. So was þe wyȝe wytles, he wed wel ner.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., xiii. 387. Welner at the fyrst cok.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, I. 438. He for wo weyle ner worthit to weide.
a. 1547. Surrey, in Tottel’s Misc. (Arb.), 6. He lettes me to pursue a conquest welnere wonne.
c. 1578. in Hakluyt’s Voy. (1600), III. 68. The day was welneere spent.
1623. Favine, Theat. Honour, II. i. 69. Who liued (well-neare) at the same time as the Geographer.
1627. Drayton, Nimphidia, 471. Who then had well-neere crack’d her spleene With very extreame laughter.
1656. Heylin, Surv. France, 298. Well-neer three miles in circuit.
1701. W. Wotton, Hist. Rome, iv. 60. The Public Stock was well near exhausted.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe, I. (Globe), 45. The last Time of these two had well near been fatal to me.
1869. Stewart, Rhymes, 5 (E.D.D.). Trees bow’d weel-near uprootin’.
1880. W. Cornw. Gloss., s.v., There were well-near a hundred people in the field.
1881. Leicestersh. Gloss., Well-near, an occasional var. of Welly, but not nearly so common.
