neyghebour
Middle English
Alternative forms
- neghboer, neghbour, neghebore, neghebur, neȝbore, neȝborwe, neȝebur, neȝȝebour, neȝhbor, nehebour, neighbore, neighbour, neighebor, neighebour, neiȝbor, neiȝbour, neiȝebor, neiȝebour, neihebur, neihȝebor, neybour, neyburwe, neyebore, neyghborn, neyghbour, neyghbur, neyȝbour, neyȝbure, neypur, nye-bore
- neghtburgh, neghtebur, neȝtboure (influenced by nyght)
- neahȝebur, neahhebur, nehgebur, nehhebur (Early Middle English)
Etymology
Inherited from Old English nēahġebūr, from Proto-West Germanic *nāhwagabūrō, from Proto-Germanic *nēhwagabūrô. Corresponds to neygh + bour.
In late Old English, nēahġebūr is regularly shortened to nĕhġebur (/ˈnex.je.bur/); this creates a pronunciation difference between nēah and nēahġebūr); this regularly develops into /ˈnɛi̯x(ə)bur/. forms with /iː/ are due to the influence of (some forms of) neygh, while forms with final-syllable /uː/ are due to the influence of bour (and possibly -our).
The last two forms discussed here are both attributable to a loss of /x/; forms with /nɛː/ is from an OE contracted form *nēahbur, *nēabur, where /x/ was lost before it could cause the diphthongisation ("breaking") of the preceding vowel and shortening was prevented due to the loss of a syllable, while forms with /p/ are apparently due to the mutual assimilation of /xb/.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈnɛi̯x(ə)bur/, /ˈniːx(ə)bur/, /-ˌbuːr/
- (reduced) IPA(key): /ˈnɛi̯bur/, /ˈniːbur/, /ˈnɛːbur/, /-pur/
Noun
neyghebour (plural neyghebours)
- A neighbour; an adjacent or nearby individual (or thing)
- (by extension) A comrade; a fellow individual.
Derived terms
Descendants
- English: neighbour, neighbor
- Scots: neibour, nebour, neebour, nichbour, nechbour, neichbour
- Yola: nypore, nipore
References
- “neighebor, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
- Dobson, E. J. (1957) English pronunciation 1500-1700[1], second edition, volume II: Phonology, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1968, →OCLC, § 129, 139, pages 647-648, 666.