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The fact that the star closest in proximity to our sun (approximately 4.2 light-years distant) is named Proxima Centauri is no coincidence. The history of proximity hinges on the idea of closeness, both physical and metaphorical. English speakers borrowed the word from Middle French, which in turn acquired it from forms of the Latin adjective proximus, meaning "nearest" or "next." Close relatives of proximity in English include proximal, proximate, and the somewhat more rare approximal (meaning "contiguous"). A number of other languages, including Catalan, Portuguese, and Italian, have similar words that come from the Latin proximus.
Examples of proximity in a Sentence
Utkarsh Sood
june 13, New Atlas, 13 June 2026
The issue with screens is proximity and duration.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 June 2026
Regardless of the proximity to the seawall, Evans said the storage sites and fill remain a threat.
—Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2026
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 13 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for proximity
Cite this Entry
“Proximity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proximity. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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proximity
noun
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proximity
noun
