Meaning
A neighbour — someone living close by. The Patois form of the word, it is often used with real warmth, reflecting the tight-knit yard and community life in which neighbours share food and favours, mind one another's children, keep an eye on each other's houses, and, now and then, quarrel across the fence. 'Mawnin, neighba' is a familiar daily greeting, and the word carries the whole closeness of a way of living where the people next door are woven into your everyday life.
Examples
-
Mi neighba len mi some sugar dis morning.
My neighbour lent me some sugar this morning.
Reflects everyday community sharing; 'len' is 'lend/lent'.
-
Di neighba dem a mek too much noise.
The neighbours are making too much noise.
'a mek' is the continuous form; 'dem' pluralises 'neighba'.
-
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.