Etymologically
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neighborhood

Etymology and origin of the English word neighborhood

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1449
From
Middle English neighborhode
Ultimate origin
English (neighbor,-hood)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈneɪbə.hʊd/ (UK); /ˈneɪbɚˌhʊd/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English neighborhode, formed from neighbor and -hood.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Neighbourly conduct, friendly relations between neighbours: the mid-15th century in Etymonline, about 1449 in the OED.[2][4] The Old English word for a neighbourhood was neahdæl, and Middle English also had neighborship (early 14th century).[2]

Semantic evolution

The quality of being near, nearness, is from 1567,[4][5] and the vicinity of something from 1577.[4] A community of people living close together is recorded from 1534 in the Historical Thesaurus, the 1620s in Etymonline,[5][2] and a district of a town considered for its character from 1652.[5] In the neighborhood of, meaning “about, approximately”, is from 1857, American English.[2][4] In mathematics, the set of points close to a given point is from 1891.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 1449 – neighbourly relations.[4]
  • 1567 – nearness.[4]
  • 1577 – the vicinity.[4]
  • 1652 – a district of a town.[5]
  • 1857 – in the neighborhood of, about.[2][4]
  • 1891 – in mathematics.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A district of a town or city, or the people who live there.
  2. The area near a place; the vicinity.
  3. in the neighborhood of: about; approximately.
  4. (mathematics) The set of points close to a given point.

Word family

  • hood
  • nabe
  • neighbor
  • neighbour
  • nigh

Usage notes

Neighbourhood is the British spelling, neighborhood the American.[6][2]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  6. ^ Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2009), 5th ed., Harlow: Pearson Longman
Cite this entry

“Neighborhood.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/neighborhood. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·