novel
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.a long story about imaginary people and events, usually printed as a book.
n.a fictional narrative in prose of considerable length, typically having a complex plot and character development.
Simple“She spent the whole weekend reading a mystery novel by her favourite author.”
In context“The author's debut novel received critical acclaim for its intricate structure and its nuanced exploration of historical trauma.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.new and different from anything that has been seen or done before.
adj.original or strikingly new in nature; having no precedent.
Simple“The company came up with a novel way to recycle plastic bottles into clothing.”
In context“The researchers proposed a novel hypothesis that challenged decades of established thinking in the field of molecular biology.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
n.a new law or rule added to an existing collection of laws.
n.a new legal constitution or decree, particularly those issued by Byzantine emperors after the initial codification of Roman law.
Simple“The professor explained how the new Novel changed the inheritance laws of the time.”
In context“The Justinian Code was supplemented by several Novellae, which addressed emerging administrative challenges within the empire.”
UsageUsually capitalized when referring to specific Roman or Byzantine legal collections.
Usage novel follows · appreciation novel · novel approach
“To answer a slightly different question, Percival Everett’s astonishing The Trees was the book that made me feel I might be able to write a novel.”
“This Depression-era novel from the author of The Help is read by January LaVoy and Jenna Lamia.”
From Middle English novel, from Old French novel (“new, fresh, recent, recently made or done, strange, rare”) (modern nouvel, nouveau), from Latin novellus (“new, fresh, young, modern”), diminutive of novus (“new”). Doublet of nouveau.
Borrowed from Italian novella, from Latin novella, feminine of novellus. Doublet of novella.
From Middle English novel, from Old French novelle, from Latin novella, feminine of novellus.
Borrowed from Latin novella, feminine of novellus.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.