1550s, "nearness in place," from Middle French vicinité and directly from Latin vicinitas "of or pertaining to neighbors or a neighborhood," as a noun, "neighborhood, nearness, proximity," from vicinus (adj.) "of the neighborhood, near, neighboring," as a noun "the neighborhood, a neighbor," from vicus "group of houses, village," related to the -wick, -wich in English place names, from PIE *weik- (1) "clan, social unit above the household" (see villa). Meaning "neighborhood, surrounding district" in English is attested by 1796.