novel
1[ nov-uh l ]
/ ˈnɒv əl /
noun
a fictitious prose narrative of considerable length and complexity, portraying characters and usually presenting a sequential organization of action and scenes.
(formerly) novella(def 1).
QUIZZES
IT’S A WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ BONANZA!
This windfall of words will make you rich with knowledge. Mine your memory on the words from July 27 to August 2!
Question 1 of 7
What does "scattergood" mean?
a person who acts as though he or she knows everything and who dismisses the opinions, comments, or suggestions of others.
a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; spendthrift.
a well-intentioned but naive and often ineffectual social or political reformer.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUTOrigin of novel
1OTHER WORDS FROM novel
nov·el·like, adjectiveWords nearby novel
novara, novated lease, novation, novato, novaya zemlya, novel, novel coronavirus, novelese, novelette, novelettish, novelist
Definition for novel (2 of 3)
novel2
[ nov-uhl ]
/ ˈnɒv əl /
adjective
of a new and unusual kind; different from anything seen or known before: a novel idea.
not previously detected or reported: the emergence of novel strains of the virus.
Origin of novel
2First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English (from Middle French, Old French), from Latin novellus “fresh, young, novel,” diminutive of novus new; see new
synonym study for novel
See new.
Definition for novel (3 of 3)
novel3
[ nov-uh l ]
/ ˈnɒv əl /
noun
Roman Law.
- an imperial enactment subsequent and supplementary to an imperial compilation and codification of authoritative legal materials.
- Usually Novels, imperial enactments subsequent to the promulgation of Justinian's Code and supplementary to it: one of the four divisions of the Corpus Juris Civilis.
Civil Law. an amendment to a statute.
Origin of novel
3Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for novel
British Dictionary definitions for novel (1 of 3)
novel1
/ (ˈnɒvəl) /
noun
an extended work in prose, either fictitious or partly so, dealing with character, action, thought, etc, esp in the form of a story
the novel the literary genre represented by novels
(usually plural) obsolete a short story or novella, as one of those in the Decameron of Boccaccio
Word Origin for novel
C15: from Old French novelle, from Latin novella (narrātiō) new (story); see novel ²
British Dictionary definitions for novel (2 of 3)
novel2
/ (ˈnɒvəl) /
adjective
of a kind not seen before; fresh; new; originala novel suggestion
Word Origin for novel
C15: from Latin novellus new, diminutive of novus new
British Dictionary definitions for novel (3 of 3)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cultural definitions for novel
novel
A long, fictional narration in prose. Great Expectations and Huckleberry Finn are novels, as are War and Peace and Lord of the Flies.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.