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)

A neighbour; an adjacent or nearby individual (or thing)
(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.