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novella

American  
[noh-vel-uh] / noʊˈvɛl ə /

noun

plural

novellas, novelle
  1. a tale or short story of the type contained in the Decameron of Boccaccio.

  2. a fictional prose narrative that is longer and more complex than a short story; a short novel.


novella British  
/ nəʊˈvɛlə /

noun

  1. (formerly) a short narrative tale, esp a popular story having a moral or satirical point, such as those in Boccaccio's Decameron

  2. a short novel; novelette

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of novella

From Italian, dating back to 1900–05; novel 1

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Twenty-five years ago this month, VH1 released an extremely loose TV movie adaptation of Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella, “A Christmas Carol,” aptly titled, “A Diva’s Christmas Carol.”

From Salon

“Marley was dead,” Charles Dickens begins the novella he subtitled “A Ghost Story of Christmas.”

From The Wall Street Journal

His work took a dramatic turn when he directed “Stand by Me” in 1986, the adaptation of a Stephen King novella.

From Los Angeles Times

Dylan Southern directs from a script based on Max Porter’s novella.

From The Wall Street Journal

In his novella “The Turn of the Screw,” the connection between the supernatural and the psychological is allowed to suggestively simmer.

From Los Angeles Times