Meaning

adjective immediately following in time or order

adjective nearest in space or position; immediately adjoining without intervening space

adjective (of elected officers) elected but not yet serving

originFrom Middle English nexte, nexste, nixte, from Old English nīehsta, nīehste, etc., inflected forms of nīehst (“nearest, next”), superlative form of nēah (“nigh”) (the comparative would become near), corresponding to Proto-Germanic *nēhwist (“nearest, closest”); equivalent to nigh + -est. Cognate with Saterland Frisian naist (“next”), Dutch naast (“next to”), German nächster (“next”), Yiddish…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0