propinquity
noun

- the state of being close to someone or something

- the fact of being near something

- nearness in place or time

- nearness in relationship

Oxford Languages, Cambridge Dictionary, Collins Dictionary

—
WORD ORIGIN

The word “propinquity” comes from Latin and has been in use in English since the late 14th century. It derives from the Latin word propinquitas, which means "nearness" or "proximity," and in turn comes from propinquus, meaning "near" or "neighbouring."

The term initially referred to physical closeness or nearness in space. Over time, it expanded to include figurative meanings, such as nearness in relationships, kinship, or time. By the early modern period, “propinquity” was used to describe not just geographical proximity but also emotional or familial closeness.

In modern English, “propinquity” still retains these dual senses, referring both to physical closeness and to a close relationship or bond between people. It’s a formal word, often used in academic or literary contexts.

—
THE POWER OF NEARNESS

The more we see someone in physical space, the more likely we are to form a relationship with them. Whether it’s chatting with neighbours or coworkers, propinquity creates opportunities for interaction which eventually deepen into bonds. It’s why colleagues sitting near each other are more likely to collaborate and why friendships and romance sprout in apartment buildings among people on the same floor.

Triggered by Covid, social and professional interaction shifted massively towards remote work and digital communication, this created an unfortunate side effect. The Allen Curve—a fascinating study by MIT professor Thomas J. Allen—illustrates that the likelihood of communication drops dramatically when employees are seated more than 25 meters apart. Another study—analyzing millions of research papers and patents—revealed that remote teams, while great at technical tasks, struggled to generate breakthrough ideas compared to those working together in person. It seems that innovation thrives when ideas collide—and collisions happen most frequently when people are in the same space.

But there’s another, more sinister reason why physical propinquity may become critical in the future. As ultra-real deep fake simulations invade our digital communication channels, the only people we’ll be able to trust will be those actually in front of us.

Paul & Helga Smith

—
SYNONYMS

a hop, skip, and a jump away; a stone's throw, adjacency, affinity, akin, allied, alongside, approaching, arm in arm, around the corner, at arm's length, at hand, at one's doorstep, at one's fingertips, attached, bordering, by one's side, centrality, cheek by jowl, close, close at hand, close by, close quarters, close to, close-knit, close-set, closeness, communion, contiguity, elbow to elbow, emotional bond, face-to-face, familiarity, fellowship, hand in glove, hand in hand, handy, hard by, immediate vicinity, in cahoots, in contact, in each other's pockets, in one's orbit, in proximity, in spitting distance, in sync, in the ballpark, in the neighbourhood, in the same boat, in the vicinity, in touch, intellectual kinship, intimacy, intimate connection, joined at the hip, juxtaposition, just around the corner, kindred, kindred spirits, kinship, like-minded, meeting of minds, near, near at hand, nearby, nearness, neck and neck, neighbouring, next door, on the doorstep, on the heels of, on the same page, on the same wavelength, physical closeness, PROPINQUITY, proximity, rapport, right under one's nose, rubbing elbows, side by side, similar, thick as thieves, tight, tight-knit, togetherness, touching, touching distance, two peas in a pod, within a stone's throw, within earshot, within reach, within spitting distance

—
SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“Let’s consider PROPINQUITY, instead of virtual, when designing our new office layout.”

—
Why Support OWAD?

On evenings and weekends, I research and write your daily OWAD newsletter together with Helga (my lovely wife and business partner) and our eagle-eyed daughter Jennifer. It remains FREE, AD-FREE, and ALIVE thanks to voluntary donations from appreciative readers.

If you aren’t already, please consider supporting us — even a small donation, equivalent to just 1-cup-of-coffee a month, would help us in covering expenses for mailing, site-hosting, maintenance, and service.

Just head over to DonorBox:
Please help keep OWAD alive

or

Bank transfer:
Paul Smith
IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40

Important: please state as ’Verwendungszweck’: “OWAD donation” and the email address used to subscribe to OWAD.

Thanks so much,

Paul & Helga Smith