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
Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Mar. 2026
To catch a glimpse of the cougar shadow, head to the vicinity of 13th Avenue and Goldfield Road in Apache Junction.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 13 Mar. 2026
This factor could favor stars with more oblong orbits, which tend to be older, because younger stars with circular orbits wouldn’t have made it to our vicinity yet.
—Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 12 Mar. 2026
Visitors should watch for announcements regarding fan zones, tailgating areas, and official FIFA events planned in the stadium vicinity, as these details will be confirmed closer to the tournament.
—Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vicinity
Cite this Entry
“Vicinity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vicinity. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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vicinity
noun
