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

The police also told the outlet that homes in the vicinity were damaged with roofs blown off and windows shattered. Paul and Sue Duchek — who live about 200 feet from the explosion — told ABC7 Eyewitness News that smoke was visible before the blast at their home. —Latoya Gayle, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024

The suspect then grabs a cab to the vicinity of the Hilton Hotel where Thompson would later be killed. —Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

Cold dark matter wouldn’t interact with anything except via gravity, so the gravitational influence of the black holes should kick it out of the vicinity well before the black holes reach the final parsec. —Jonathan O’Callaghan, WIRED, 1 Dec. 2024

Mind-controlling parasites are not new to the animal world, but what makes E. muscae stand out is how effectively the fungus spreads in its vicinity. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 24 Nov. 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

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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