neat
1[ neet ]
/ nit /
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adjective, neat·er, neat·est.
adverb
Informal. neatly.
OTHER WORDS FOR neat
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
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, nounOther 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”
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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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