proximate

Proximate is an adjective meaning nearest in space or time. It derives from Latin proximus, meaning nearest, and entered English with general uses in everyday language as well as specialized technical senses.

In common and legal usage, proximate appears in the phrase proximate cause, a central concept in tort and negligence law. Proximate cause refers to the primary cause of harm that is legally sufficient to result in liability, often focusing on foreseeability and directness rather than remote or speculative factors. The term helps distinguish immediate causal connections from more distant or incidental ones.

In science and nutrition, proximate analysis is a standard set of laboratory procedures used to estimate the basic composition of a food or feedstuff. Typical measurements include moisture, ash, crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, and nitrogen-free extract (carbohydrates). The approach relies on established methods: drying to determine moisture, ashing for mineral content, Kjeldahl or equivalent methods for protein, solvent extraction for fat, digestion for fiber, and calculation by difference for the remaining fraction. The resulting data are referred to as the proximate composition.

In coal and fuel analysis, proximate analysis evaluates properties such as moisture, volatile matter, fixed carbon, and ash to describe how a fuel behaves during combustion. This differs from ultimate analysis, which seeks elemental composition.

Beyond technical contexts, proximate can simply mean something that is near or immediately related to a matter, though the precise implications depend on the field.