nauwe

Nauwe is a Dutch adjective meaning narrow. It is primarily used attributively before a noun to describe something with limited width or distance. The form nauwe is the common attributive form before singular common-gender or plural nouns, as in een nauwe straat (a narrow street) and de nauwe doorgang (the narrow passage). In noun phrases with plural nouns the adjective generally takes the -e ending, producing nauwe straten (narrow streets).

The word derives from the Dutch stem nauw, related to other Germanic terms for tight or constricted. In broader usage, nauwe can appear in both physical and metaphorical senses, such as describing a narrow space or a figurative restriction or close situation (for example, een nauwe relatie). The comparative form is nauwer and the superlative is nauwste.

Nauwe also functions as a component in compound words and in certain toponyms or surnames, where the meaning remains tied to “narrow” or “constricted.” In related Dutch terms, nauw is the root of words like nauwkeurig and nauwgezet, which extend the notion of precision and thoroughness rather than physical width alone.

In summary, nauwe is the standard attributive form of the Dutch adjective for narrow, used before nouns to convey width or tightness, with comparative and superlative forms nauwer and nauwste, and with broader semantic reach into metaphorical narrowness and related compounds.