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locality

n.
US //ɫoʊˈkæɫəti// UK //ləʊkˈælɪti// lo·cal·i·ty
  1. 1 a specific area or neighborhood (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Formal

    a particular area, district, or neighborhood where people live or work.

    a specific geographic area or district, often considered in terms of its social or physical characteristics.

    Example

    The police are searching for the suspect in the immediate locality.

    Example

    The value of the property is largely determined by the amenities available within the immediate locality, such as schools and public transport.
  2. 2 position or site (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal Technical

    the specific place where something is located.

    the state or quality of having a position in space, or the specific site of an object or event.

    Example

    The exact locality of the ancient ruins was kept secret to prevent looting.

    Example

    Researchers mapped the locality of each rare plant species to better understand the microclimates of the valley.
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  1. 3 computing/physics (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Computing

    the tendency of things to happen or stay near each other.

    the principle that a process or object only interacts with its immediate surroundings, or the tendency of a processor to access the same memory locations repeatedly.

    Example

    The software runs faster because it takes advantage of data locality.

    Example

    Optimizing for locality of reference ensures that the CPU can retrieve data from the cache rather than slower main memory.

    Usage

    Often used in the phrase 'locality of reference' in computer science.
Origin

From French localité, from Late Latin localitas, equivalent to local + -ity.

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