proximate
/ˈpɹɑk.sə.mət/adjective, noun
proximate is spelled P-R-O-X-I-M-A-T-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, proximate means “Close or closest; adjacent” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in proximate?
| Letters | 9: P-R-O-X-I-M-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 45,947th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is proximate?
Proximate appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce proximate?
- UK /ˈpɹɒk.sɪ.mət/
- US /ˈpɹɑk.sə.mət/
- US /ˈpɹɑk.sɪ.mət/
Proximate has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-proximate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with proximate?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as proximate from its last stressed vowel (/ɑksəmət/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of proximate
- proximates plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does proximate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Close or closest; adjacent.
- 2
Immediately preceding or following in a chain of causation.
The proximate cause of the damage must be established.
- 3
About to take place; impending.
noun
- 1
A grammatical marker that distinguishes a relatively salient referent in a given context from a relatively non-salient (obviative) one.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate proximate?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of proximate: prox..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does proximate come from?
From Late Latin proximatus, past participle of proximare (“to draw near, approach”), from Latin proximus (“nearest”), superlative of prope (“near”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).