1
: nearness of blood : kinship
2
: nearness in place or time : proximity

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Getting Closer to the Meaning of Propinquity

Gather near and we will tell you tale of the scions of prope, the Latin word for “near.” Approach approached first: by the 13th century it had made its way to English from prope through Late Latin and Anglo-French forms, with help from a prefix meaning “to, toward.” Propinquity was all about kinship when it entered English in the 14th century via an expansion in Latin of prope to propinquus, meaning “near, akin.” Its general “nearness” meaning developed soon after. Proximity entered the language in the 15th century via French, having been adopted from proximus, a form of prope meaning “nearest.” Hold this trio near if you like, and apply the rather formal propinquity to mean “nearness” or “proximity” when the occasion calls for a bit of formality.

Examples of propinquity in a Sentence

local housing prices, thanks to the propinquity of an especially picturesque beach, are out of the reach of many would-be buyers
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.
There is an old social psychology concept called propinquity, where collaborations are likely to occur with those who are in close proximity to one another. Nicholas Ladany, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024 For him, at the heart of the conflict was a crisis of propinquity. Curbed, 20 Oct. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English propinquite, from Latin propinquitat-, propinquitas kinship, proximity, from propinquus near, akin, from prope near — more at approach

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of propinquity was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near propinquity

Cite this Entry

“Propinquity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propinquity. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.

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