Merriam-Webster's Word Central

January 28, 2012

neighbor (noun): \NAY-ber\
What does it mean?: 1 : a person or thing living or located near another2 : a fellow human being
How do you use it?: Janni found that his new neighbors in the U.S. were eager to know more about his native country.
Are you a word wiz?: How old do you think the word "neighbor" is?

A. Rather old; it was first used by colonists in the 1700s.

B. Old; it first appeared in Shakespeare's early writings of the 1500s.

C. Very old; it goes back to before the 1100s when people spoke Old English.

D. Not old at all; it came into use when Mr. Rogers made his TV debut in the late 1900s.

"Neighbor" is a very old word, dating back to before the 12th century. The combination of the Old English words "neah," meaning "near," and "gebur," meaning "dweller," produced the word "neahgebur." This word was used for a person living near another, on the same street or even in the same village. The spelling of "neahgebur" has changed over the centuries to give us "neighbor," but the word's basic meaning has remained the same.