Vicinages

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The geographical areas or districts surrounding a specific location
2. neighborhoods that are in close proximity to one another
3. the communities or regions adjacent to a central point or landmark

Etymology: "Vicinages" is the plural of "vicinage," which meant the neighborhood itself, the people and places lying close by. Its surface shape suggests "vicine" plus the suffix "-age," but the real path runs through Old French "visnage," a word for neighborhood that was later respelled to match its Latin source "vīcīnus," meaning "neighbor." The Latin word is the same root that gives English "vicinity," so the two terms are close relatives sharing a single ancestor. The plural form simply reflects the same sense as the singular, used when more than one neighborhood or district is meant. The singular and plural keep the older idea of a community bound together by living side by side.

Synonyms: neighborhoods, areas, districts, localities, regions