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neat
1[ neet ]
/ nit /
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adjective, neat·er, neat·est.
adverb
Informal. neatly.
OTHER WORDS FOR neat
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Origin of neat
1First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English net “spruce, trim, clean,” from Middle French, from Latin nitidus “shining, polished, handsome, spruce,” equivalent to nit(ēre) “to shine” + -idus adjective suffix; see -id4
OTHER WORDS FROM neat
neatly, adverbneatness, nounWords nearby neat
Other definitions for neat (2 of 2)
neat2
[ neet ]
/ nit /
noun, plural neat.
an animal of the genus Bos; a bovine, as a cow or ox.
Origin of neat
2First recorded before 900; Middle English net, nete, nette, Old English nēat, cognate with Old Norse naut, Middle Dutch noot; akin to Old English nēotan “to use, possess”
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use neat in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for neat (1 of 2)
neat1
/ (niːt) /
adjective
Derived forms of neat
neatly, adverbneatness, nounWord Origin for neat
C16: from Old French net, from Latin nitidus clean, shining, from nitēre to shine; related to Middle Irish niam beauty, brightness, Old Persian naiba- beautiful
British Dictionary definitions for neat (2 of 2)
neat2
/ (niːt) /
noun plural neat
archaic, or dialect a domestic bovine animal
Word Origin for neat
Old English neat
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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