voisins

Voisins is the plural form of the French noun voisin, meaning neighbor. In everyday usage, les voisins refers to people who live near one's home or dwelling. The term also appears in broader social contexts to describe neighborly relations within a community or neighborhood.

Etymology: The word derives from Old French veisin, itself from Latin vicinus meaning nearby or adjacent. The modern forms voisin and voisins emerged in the course of Middle French and have been retained in contemporary usage.

Usage and related terms: Voisin is the masculine singular, voisine the feminine singular, and voisins the masculine plural. Related terms include voisinage, which denotes the neighborhood or the social sphere of neighbors, and the concept of proximity more generally. The plural form voisins can be used to refer to multiple neighboring people or to a group regarded as a collective neighborly group.

Cultural and geographic notes: As a basic lexical item, voisins also appears as a component in toponyms or in surnames in some French-speaking regions. In such cases, the form may appear within compound place names or as part of family names, though the singular Voisin is more commonly encountered as a surname or place-name element.

See also: voisin, voisine, voisinage.