vicinity

noun

vi·​cin·​i·​ty və-ˈsi-nə-tē 

plural vicinities

1

: a surrounding area or district : neighborhood

2

: neighborhood sense 3b

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."

Synonyms

• backyard
• environs
• neighborhood
• purlieus
• vicinage

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

If Russian troops were to approach the city, European forces in the vicinity would have the right to defend themselves by firing on the advancing soldiers. —Alex Crowther, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2024

The four Northern District counties that are outside the Bay Area and in the broad vicinity of McKinleyville list a total population of about 320,000, or about 1/25 of the 7.75 million people who call the Bay Area home. —Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024

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 Slavonic vĭsĭ, Greek oikos, oikia house

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing vicinity

• in the vicinity of

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Kids Definition

vicinity

noun

vi·​cin·​i·​ty və-ˈsin-ət-ē 

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