vicinity
noun
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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."
Examples of vicinity in a Sentence
Derrik Klassen, The Athletic, 13 Feb. 2025
At 6-3, nearly 330 pounds, Williams is a disruptive force against the run, soaking up blockers, while trapping any runner in his vicinity like a black hole.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Feb. 2025
The Indigenous Inuit population in the area was forced to leave the vicinity, one of many colonial injustices.
—Adam Price, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
Sandoval, perpetually sweaty and always sauntering around the castle like a surprised possum, has no real concept of who may or may not be Traitors, but that doesn’t keep him from sharing every theory that enters his mind with anyone in his vicinity.
—Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for vicinity 
Dictionary Entries Near vicinity
Cite this Entry
“Vicinity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vicinity. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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vicinity
noun
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