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9 dictionary results for: neat

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

neat1

[neet] Pronunciation Key adjective, -er, -est, adverb

–adjective

1.	in a pleasingly orderly and clean condition: a neat room.

2.	habitually orderly and clean in appearance or habits: a neat person.

3.	of a simple, pleasing appearance, style, design, etc.: a neat cottage.

4.	cleverly effective in character or execution: a neat scheme; a neat solution.

5.	Slang. great; wonderful; fine: What a neat car!

6.	clever, dexterous, or apt: She gave a neat characterization of the old woman.

7.	straight (def. 33).

Building Trades.

a.	(of cement) without sand or other aggregate.

b.	(of plaster) without any admixture except hair or fiber.

9.	net: neat profits.

–adverb

10.	Informal. neatly.

[Origin: 1300–50; ME net spruce, trim, clean < MF < L nitidus shining, polished, handsome, spruce, equiv. to nit(ére) to shine + -idus -id⁴

]

—Related forms

neatly, adverb

neatness, noun

—Synonyms 1. spruce, smart. 4. finished, well-planned. 6. adroit. 7. unmixed, pure.

—Antonyms 1. sloppy. 6. maladroit. 7. mixed.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

neat2

[neet] Pronunciation Key

–noun, plural neat.

an animal of the genus Bos; a bovine, as a cow or ox.

[Origin: bef. 900; ME neet, OE néat, c. ON naut, MD noot; akin to OE néotan to use, possess

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

neat¹ (nēt) Pronunciation Key
adj. neat·er, neat·est

Orderly and clean; tidy.
Orderly and precise in procedure; systematic.
Marked by ingenuity and skill; adroit: a neat turn of phrase.
Not diluted or mixed with other substances: neat whiskey.
Left after all deductions; net: neat profit.
Slang Wonderful; terrific: That was a neat party.

[Anglo-Norman neit, clear, pure, variant of Old French net, from Latin nitidus, elegant, gleaming, from nitēre, to shine.]

neat'ly adv., neat'ness n.

Synonyms: These adjectives mean clean and in good order. Neat is the most general: a neat room; neat hair.
Tidy emphasizes precise arrangement and order: "When she saw me come in tidy and well dressed, she even smiled" (Charlotte Brontë).
Trim stresses especially smart appearance: "A trim little sailboat was dancing out at her moorings" (Herman Melville).
Shipshape evokes meticulous order: "We'll try to make this barn a little more shipshape" (Rudyard Kipling).
Spick-and-span suggests the immaculate freshness of something new: "young men in spick-and-span uniforms" (Edith Wharton).

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

neat² (nēt) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. neat Archaic
A cow or other domestic bovine animal.

[Middle English net, from Old English nēat.]

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
neat (adj.)

1542, "clean, free from dirt," from Anglo-Fr. neit, from O.Fr. net "clear, pure," from L. nitidus "well-favored, elegant, trim," lit. "gleaming," from nitere "to shine," from PIE base *nei-/*ni- "to shine" (cf. M.Ir. niam "gleam, splendor," niamda "shining;" O.Ir. noib "holy," niab "strength;" Welsh nwyfiant "gleam, splendor"). Meaning "inclined to be tidy" is from 1577. Sense of "straight liquor" is c.1800, from meaning "unadulterated" (of wine), first attested 1579. Informal sense of "very good" first recorded 1934 in Amer.Eng.; variant neato is teenager slang, first recorded 1968. Neatnik "excessively tidy person" is from 1959 (see -nik).

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

neat
adjective
1.	clean or organized; "her neat dress"; "a neat room"
2.	showing care in execution; "neat homework"; "neat handwriting"
3.	free from what is tawdry or unbecoming; "a neat style"; "a neat set of rules"; "she hated to have her neat plans upset"
4.	free from clumsiness; precisely or deftly executed; "he landed a clean left on his opponent's cheek"; "a clean throw"; "the neat exactness of the surgeon's knife" [syn: clean]
5.	very good; "he did a bully job"; "a neat sports car"; "had a great time at the party"; "you look simply smashing"
6.	without water; "took his whiskey neat"

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Neat

Neat\, n. sing. & pl. [AS. ne['a]t; akin to OHG. n?z, Icel. naut, Sw. n["o]t, Dan. n["o]d, and to AS. ne['o]tan to make use of, G. geniessen, Goth. niutan to have a share in, have joy of, Lith. nauda use, profit.] (Zo["o]l.) Cattle of the genus Bos, as distinguished from horses, sheep, and goats; an animal of the genus Bos; as, a neat's tongue; a neat's foot. --Chaucer.

Wherein the herds[men] were keeping of their neat. --Spenser.

The steer, the heifer, and the calf Are all called neat. --Shak.

A neat and a sheep of his own. --Tusser.

Neat's-foot, an oil obtained by boiling the feet of neat cattle. It is used to render leather soft and pliable.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Neat

Neat\, a. [See neat, n.] Of or pertaining to the genus Bos, or to cattle of that genus; as, neat cattle.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Neat

Neat\, a. [Compar. Neater; superl. Neatest.] [OE. nett, F. nett, fr. L. nitidus, fr. nitere to shine. Cf. Nitid, Net, a., Natty.]

1. Free from that which soils, defiles, or disorders; clean; cleanly; tidy.

If you were to see her, you would wonder what poor body it was that was so surprisingly neat and clean. --Law.

2. Free from what is unbecoming, inappropriate, or tawdry; simple and becoming; pleasing with simplicity; tasteful; chaste; as, a neat style; a neat dress.

3. Free from admixture or adulteration; good of its kind; as, neat brandy. "Our old wine neat." --Chapman.

4. Excellent in character, skill, or performance, etc.; nice; finished; adroit; as, a neat design; a neat thief.

5. With all deductions or allowances made; net.

Note: [In this sense usually written net. See Net, a., 3.]

neat line (Civil Engin.), a line to which work is to be built or formed.

Neat work, work built or formed to neat lines.

Syn: Nice; pure; cleanly; tidy; trim; spruce.

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