Vicus
/ˈwiː.kʊs/noun
In Latin, a village, district, or neighborhood; in Roman usage, a street or settlement quarter.
Did you know?Vicus is the ancestor of English words like village and civic, and it helped name Roman neighborhood associations that were organized almost like mini communities inside the city.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weik-
“to bend, settle, live in a clan or settlement”
Old Latin
Latin
*weikos → vicus
“a settlement, village, or group of houses”
Classical Latin
Latin
vicus
“a street, district, or neighborhood in a town; a village”
Late Latin
Latin
vicinus
“neighboring, adjacent; a neighbor”
Old French
Old French
vile / ville
“a town or settlement”
Middle English
English
village
“a small settlement”