vicinity
noun
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."
Examples of vicinity in a Sentence
Andrew Jones, Space.com, 30 Dec. 2025
As Europop blasts from the speakers, the dancer performs cartwheels and backflips in the general vicinity of the robot, which at one point drops to the floor to crank out some push-ups.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
The vicinity where this latest attack occurred has become known for great white shark activity, per SURFER, citing information from the website of advocacy group Shark Stewards.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 25 Dec. 2025
Cisco Systems sold four north San Jose office buildings with addresses of 260, 300, and 350 East Tasman Drive, and 3750 Zanker Road, as well as two parking garages in the vicinity, the county documents show.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vicinity
Cite this Entry
“Vicinity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vicinity. Accessed 1 Jan. 2026.
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vicinity
noun
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