novel

1
[ nov-uhl ]
See synonyms for novel on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a fictitious prose narrative of considerable length and complexity, portraying characters and usually presenting a sequential organization of action and scenes.

  2. (formerly) novella (def. 1).

Origin of novel

1
First recorded in 1560–70; from Italian novella (storia) “new (story)”; see origin at novel2

Other words from novel

  • nov·el·like, adjective

Words Nearby novel

Other definitions for novel (2 of 3)

novel2
[ nov-uhl ]

adjective
  1. of a new and unusual kind; different from anything seen or known before: a novel idea.

  2. not previously detected or reported: the emergence of novel strains of the virus.

Origin of novel

2
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, Middle French novel, from Old French novel, nouvel, from Latin novellus “fresh, young, novel,” diminutive of novus “new”; see origin at new

synonym study For novel

See new.

Other definitions for novel (3 of 3)

novel3
[ nov-uhl ]

noun
  1. 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.

  2. Civil Law. an amendment to a statute.

Origin of novel

3
First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin novella (constitūtiō) “a new (regulation, order)”; see origin at novel2

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use novel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for novel (1 of 3)

novel1

/ (ˈnɒvəl) /


noun
  1. an extended work in prose, either fictitious or partly so, dealing with character, action, thought, etc, esp in the form of a story

  2. the novel the literary genre represented by novels

  1. (usually plural) obsolete a short story or novella, as one of those in the Decameron of Boccaccio

Origin of novel

1
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
  1. of a kind not seen before; fresh; new; original: a novel suggestion

Origin of novel

2
C15: from Latin novellus new, diminutive of novus new

British Dictionary definitions for novel (3 of 3)

novel3

/ (ˈnɒvəl) /


noun
  1. Roman law a new decree or an amendment to an existing statute: See also Novels

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

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.