proximity
noun
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The fact that the star closest in proximity to our sun (approximately 4.2 light-years distant) is named Proxima Centauri is no coincidence. The history of proximity hinges on the idea of closeness, both physical and metaphorical. English speakers borrowed the word from Middle French, which in turn acquired it from forms of the Latin adjective proximus, meaning "nearest" or "next." Close relatives of proximity in English include proximal, proximate, and the somewhat more rare approximal (meaning "contiguous"). A number of other languages, including Catalan, Portuguese, and Italian, have similar words that come from the Latin proximus.
Examples of proximity in a Sentence
David Phelan, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
In addition to the proximity of their restaurants and their sassy couch poses, Ramsay and Vanderpump have also shared the small screen.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 3 Mar. 2025
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacramento Bee, 2 Mar. 2025
The rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) technology proven with ADRAS-J enables several other types of missions, such as satellite servicing and inspection.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for proximity
Cite this Entry
“Proximity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proximity. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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