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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.

Nearly 40 years after the Rob Reiner classic “Stand By Me” hit theaters, fans will get a new audiobook of the novella that inspired it—Stephen King’s “The Body.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Franz Kafka’s novella “The Metamorphosis” asks: What if, overnight, you became “a horrible vermin”—a creature among the most repellent ever to crawl the earth?

From The Wall Street Journal

Martin’s “Tales of Dunk and Egg” series of novellas, saw the hopeful hedge knight make some progress toward achieving his dreams.

From Los Angeles Times

Based on the “Tales of Dunk and Egg,” novellas by author George R.R.

From Los Angeles Times

Kwedar: The first time I read the novella, or any of Denis Johnson’s work, was when you handed it to me and asked me if I thought this was a movie.

From Los Angeles Times