Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “neighbor” come from?

neighbor (English) comes from Middle English neyghebour, from Old English nēahġebūr, from Proto-West Germanic nāhwagabūrō, from Proto-Germanic nēhwagabūrô, from Proto-Germanic nēhwaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂nḗḱwos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂neḱ- — to reach, to attain.

neighbor (English): US standard spelling of neighbour

Definitions

  1. US standard spelling of neighbour

Ancestry of “neighbor”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishneyghebour—
2Old Englishnēahġebūrneighbour
3Proto-West Germanicnāhwagabūrō—
4Proto-Germanicnēhwagabūrôneighbour
5Proto-Germanicnēhwaznear, close
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂nḗḱwos—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂neḱ-to reach, to attain

Words derived from “neighbor”

  • neighborly
  • neighborliness
  • unneighborly
  • neighborship
  • neighborless
  • unneighborliness
  • neighbors
  • neighboress
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂neḱ- →