vicinity

noun

vi·​cin·​i·​ty və-ˈsi-nə-tē How to pronounce vicinity (audio)
plural vicinities
1
: a surrounding area or district : neighborhood
2
3
: the quality or state of being near : proximity

Did you know?

Howdy, neighbor! Today we cozy up to vicinity, a word with neighborly origins that was welcomed into English as a French import in the 16th century from Middle French vicinité. It comes ultimately from Latin vicus, meaning "row of houses" or "village," by way of Latin vicinus, meaning "neighboring." Other descendants of vicinus in English include vicinal (a synonym of local) and vicinage, a synonym of vicinity in the sense of "a neighboring or surrounding district." Both of these are formal and rare, but vicinage is notable for giving title to the Vicinage Clause, a segment of the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution that entitles an accused person to "an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law."

Examples of vicinity in a Sentence

there are no hotels in the vicinity of the hospital the vicinity of the town's only elementary school was one reason why the young couple bought the house
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The attacks, along with an increase in gang activity around the embassy’s vicinity, have prompted embassy officials to begin the process of evacuating up to 20 diplomatic staff from the capital, another source told CNN on Thursday. David Culver, CNN, 24 Oct. 2024 Otherwise, the age-old criticism will apply - that Israel has the power to make war but not to make lasting peace in its vicinity, to demolish but not to reconstitute and therefore ends up in endless wars with no permanent security. Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024 Anything in the immediate vicinity experiences extremely intense electromagnetic fields. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 24 Sep. 2024 Capitol Hill residents, who had the Jan. 6 riot in their backyard, will see a bigger security perimeter for the certification of votes, which will impact how people move around that day — and even schedules for five schools in the vicinity. Cuneyt Dil, Axios, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for vicinity 

Word History

Etymology

Middle French vicinité, from Latin vicinitat-, vicinitas, from vicinus neighboring, from vicus row of houses, village; akin to Goth weihs village, Old Church Slavic vĭsĭ, Greek oikos, oikia house

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of vicinity was in 1560

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Dictionary Entries Near vicinity

Cite this Entry

“Vicinity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vicinity. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

vicinity

noun
vi·​cin·​i·​ty və-ˈsin-ət-ē How to pronounce vicinity (audio)
plural vicinities
1
: a surrounding area or district
in the vicinity of her home
2
: an approximate amount, extent, or degree : neighborhood
walks in the vicinity of 20 miles a week

More from Merriam-Webster on vicinity

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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