novel
1[ nov-uhl ]
/ ˈnɒv əl /
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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).
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Origin of novel
1OTHER WORDS FROM novel
nov·el·like, adjectiveWords nearby novel
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-uhl ]
/ 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. 2021
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.