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.

Notes on phonological development

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)

1. A neighbour; an adjacent or nearby individual (or thing)
2. (by extension) A comrade; a fellow individual.

Derived terms

• neiȝboresse

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.