Neighba
Also spelled: Neighbah, Neba
Meaning
A neighbour; someone living close by, often used with warmth to reflect the tight-knit yard and community life where neighbours share, watch out for, and sometimes quarrel with one another.
Examples
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“Mi neighba len mi some sugar dis morning.”
My neighbour lent me some sugar this morning.
Reflects everyday community sharing; 'len' is 'lend/lent'.
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“Di neighba dem a mek too much noise.”
The neighbours are making too much noise.
'a mek' is the continuous form; 'dem' pluralises 'neighba'.
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“Mind yuh business, neighba, nuh watch mi.”
Mind your business, neighbour, don't watch me.
Said pointedly to a nosy neighbour; 'nuh watch mi' means stop observing me.
Origin
From English 'neighbour', with the final '-r' dropped and the vowel reduced to 'a', following the non-rhotic pattern typical of Patois.
How it's used
Everyday speech. Tone ranges from affectionate to sarcastic depending on the relationship; can be a friendly greeting or a pointed jab in a dispute over the fence.