"fictitious narrative," 1566, from It.
novella "short story," originally "new story," from L.
novella "new things" (cf. M.Fr.
novelle, Fr.
nouvelle), neut. pl. or fem. of
novellus (see
novel (adj.)). Originally "one of the tales or short stories in a collection" (esp. Boccaccio), later (1643) "long work of fiction," works which had before that been called
romances. Novelist "writer of novels" is 1728, infl. by It.
novellista.
[nov-uh
l] 