Definition of propinquity
Etymology
From Old French propinquité or Latin propinquitas, from propinquus ‘neighbouring' (from prope ‘near').
Pronunciation
Noun
propinquity (plural propinquities)
- Nearness or proximity.
- Affiliation or similarity.
Further reading
In social psychology, propinquity (from Latin propinquitas, "nearness") is one of the main factors leading to interpersonal attraction. It refers to the physical or psychological proximity between people. Propinquity can mean physical proximity, a kinship between people, or a similarity in nature between things ("like-attracts-like"). Two people living on the same floor of a building, for example, have a higher propinquity than those living on different floors, just as two people with similar political beliefs possess a higher propinquity than those whose beliefs strongly differ. Propinquity is also one of the factors, set out by Jeremy Bentham, used to measure the amount of (utilitarian) pleasure in a method known as felicific calculus.
References:
- Wiktionary. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
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