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

To catch a glimpse of the cougar shadow, head to the vicinity of 13th Avenue and Goldfield Road in Apache Junction. —Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 19 Sep. 2024

Those vents are known to release plumes of alkaline water into the more acidic ocean water, providing a source of energy that is often efficiently harvested by abundant life at the vicinity of these vents. —Mario Livio, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2024

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity, his campaign and U.S. Secret Service announced on Sunday with no further details provided. —Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 16 Sep. 2024

Former President Donald Trump is safe after gunshots were fired in his vicinity on Sunday, his campaign said in statement. —Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 15 Sep. 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 Slavic vĭsĭ, Greek oikos, oikia house

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing vicinity

• in the vicinity of

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

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