novel
Pluralnovels
Pluralnovels
- 1A long made-up story written in prose, longer than a novella.
Like a long movie, but you read it instead of watching it.
She read a novel every week during the summer break.
His first novel sold thousands of copies in a month.
UsageA novel is a made-up story. A book of facts, like a history, is just a book.
Note
- 2New and different from anything that has been seen or done before.
Like something that has just come into the world for the very first time.
Scientists found a novel virus in the river samples.
The team came up with a novel way to save water.
UsageOften in a novel idea or a novel way to do something.
Note
- 3Something new or recently introduced.
Libum is a cake made of Honey (sugar is a nouvelle, since the discovery of America), meale and oyle.
1687, John Aubrey, Remaines of Gentilisme and JudaismeHere, nouvelle means something new and unfamiliar.Note
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origins
It comes from Old French novel and Latin novellus, meaning "new," a small form of Latin novus ("new").
Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- The adjective novel comes through Old French novel from Latin novellus. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin novellus means new. en.wiktionary.org
- Novellus is a diminutive of Latin novus, meaning new. en.wiktionary.org
It was borrowed from Italian novella, which came from Latin novella, the feminine form of novellus.
Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- English novel was borrowed from Italian novella. en.wiktionary.org
- Italian novella came from Latin novella. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin novella is the feminine form of novellus. en.wiktionary.org
It comes from Old French novelle and Latin novella, the feminine form of novellus.
Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- For the obsolete noun meaning something new, novel derives from Old French novelle and ultimately Latin novella. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin novella is a feminine form of novellus. en.wiktionary.org