neat
1[ neet ]
/ nit /
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adjective, neat·er, neat·est.
adverb
Informal. neatly.
SYNONYMS FOR neat
QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
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, nounDefinition 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
2before 900; Middle English neet,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. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for neat
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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