Obs. Also 6–7 voicinage, 7 voysinage. [a. F. voisinage, f. voisin: cf. prec. and VICINAGE.]
1. The fact of being neighboring or near.
1665. Sir T. Herbert, Trav. (1677), 283. Erzirum is a Town of great strength … and by reason of its voicinage to the Persian Dominions usually made the place of rendezvous, when the Turks have any design against that Empire.
1681. Burnet, Hist. Ref., II. I. 203. Worcester and Glocester had been united, by reason of their Voicinage.
2. The neighborhood; the adjoining district.
1642. Jer. Taylor, Episc., xxi. 114. All the Presbyters that came from Ephesus and the voisinage. Ibid. (1647), Lib. Proph., Ep. Ded. 5. I had no Books of my own here, nor any in the voisinage.
1673. H. Stubbe, Further Vind. Dutch War, 4. We in the City and Country do repine, complain and rage, till the whole Voisinage prove Male-content.
1678. Sancroft, in Bp. Wake, Charge (1706), 43. Three Priests…, who are of the Voisinage where the Person testified of, resides.
b. The neighborhood of a place.
1649. Jer. Taylor, Gt. Exemp., II. Sect. x. 2. There hapned to be a marriage in Cana of Galilee in the voisinage of his dwelling. Ibid. (1660), Ductor, I. iv. rule 2 § 13. It occasioned the death of all the little babes in the city and voisinage of Bethlehem.
1720. S. Parker, Biblioth. Bibl., I. 415. A City came to be built in the Voisinage of this Holy Place.
