Word of the Day

: April 20, 2009

vicinity

noun vuh-SIN-uh-tee

What It Means

1 : the quality or state of being near : proximity

2 : a surrounding area or district : neighborhood

3 : an approximate amount, extent, or degree

vicinity in Context

There are several wonderful little stores in the vicinity of our new house.

Did You Know?

"Vicinity" has its origins in the idea of neighborliness -- it was borrowed into English in the 16th century from Middle French "vicinité," which in turn derives from the Latin adjective "vicinus," meaning "neighboring." "Vicinus" itself can be traced back to the noun "vicus," meaning "row of houses" or "village," and ultimately all the way back to the same ancient word that gave Gothic, Old Church Slavic, and Greek words for "house." Other descendants of "vicinus" in English include "vicinal" ("local" or "of, relating to, or substituted in adjacent sites in a molecule") and "vicinage," a synonym of "vicinity" in the sense of "a neighboring or surrounding district."