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new (n, ny)
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adj. new·er, new·est
1. Having been made or come into being only a short time ago; recent: a new law.
2.
a. Still fresh: a new coat of paint.
b. Never used or worn before now: a new car; a new hat.
3. Just found, discovered, or learned: new information.
4. Not previously experienced or encountered; novel or unfamiliar: ideas new to her.
5. Different from the former or the old: the new morality.
6. Recently obtained or acquired: new political power; new money.
7. Additional; further: new sources of energy.
8. Recently arrived or established in a place, position, or relationship: new neighbors; a new president.
9. Changed for the better; rejuvenated: The nap has made a new person of me.
10. Being the later or latest in a sequence: a new edition.
11. Currently fashionable: a new dance.
12. New In the most recent form, period, or development.
13. Inexperienced or unaccustomed: new at the job; new to the trials of parenthood.
14. Of or relating to a new moon.
adv.
Freshly; recently. Often used in combination: new-mown.

[Middle English newe, from Old English nīwe, nēowe; see newo- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

newness n.

Synonyms: new, fresh, novel2, original
These adjectives describe what has existed for only a short time, has only lately come into use, or has only recently arrived at a state or position, as of prominence. New is the most general: a new movie; a new friend; a new opportunity.
Something fresh has qualities of newness such as briskness, brightness, or purity: fresh footprints in the snow; fresh hope of discovering a vaccine.
Novel applies to the new and strikingly unusual: "His sermons were considered bold in thought and novel in language" (Edith Wharton).
Something that is original is novel and the first of its kind: "The science of pure mathematics, in its modern development, may claim to be the most original creation of the human spirit" (Alfred North Whitehead).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.