Is "nearbys" the right word to express "places/ objects that are nearby"? Or does a better word exist?
This came up in a programming context. A group of objects, that are nearby another one, was simply called:
nearbys
These could be actual places/ locations or really random objects.
This raised questions in me: Is this nominalization actually valid or used in everyday language use? Also would it need to change the y in the plural form?
Neighbors (UK English neighbours) would be more usual.
Merriam-Webster defines neighbor as a noun as "one living or located near another".
To answer the specific questions, OED does have nearby as a noun, and its plural is nearbys, but it doesn't mean "a nearby place". It means a futures contract which is nearing maturity.
Stock Market.
A nearby futures contract (cf. nearby adj. 2). Usually in plural.
1980 Times 30 Dec. 16/6 Wall Street... Cotton futures eased from strong opening levels to close with gains of 1.17 to 0.75 cents in nearbys.
The adjectival reference says
- Stock Market. Of an option or futures contract: nearing maturity; spec. that expires in the next month of active trading in that particular type of futures. Cf. nearby n. [quoted above]
That said, you can certainly refer to nearby places as nearbys within your program; the context should make the meaning clear. If this is going to be a user-facing term, then it might be best to come up with another word which I'm sure other answers will be able to supply. Nearby as a noun is a jargon term not in a general use.
Proximate:
adjective
next; nearest; immediately before or after in order, place, occurrence, etc. close; very near. approximate; fairly accurate. forthcoming; imminent.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/proximate?s=t
If we are talking about objects, I would concur with Stuart and suggest neighbors (UK: neighbours) as a more widely accepted term to use.
If you want something a bit broader, then perhaps surroundings will suit you better:
Surroundings
: the circumstances, conditions, or objects by which one is surrounded:
But new research into the health effects of our surroundings is spurring the development of facilities that feel more residential.
I don't know much about your programming context but I can imagine something along the lines of:
Be careful when editing parameters for these objects as they can have unexpected effects on its surroundings
At the end of the day, this is still relies on context, but it is at least a more common English term.