I. ˈnēt, usu -ēd.+V noun
( plural neat )
Etymology: Middle English net, neet, from Old English nēat; akin to Old High German nōz head of cattle, Old Norse naut; all from a prehistoric North Germanic-West Germanic noun akin to Old English nēotan to make use of, enjoy, Old High German niozzan, Old Norse njōta, Gothic niutan
: the common domestic bovine ( Bos taurus ) ; also : cattle of this or sometimes of other species of the genus Bos
neat cattle
neat stall
neat leather
a lion in a herd of neat — Shakespeare
II. adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle French net, from Latin nitidus bright, lustrous, neat, from nitēre to shine; akin to Middle Irish niam luster, beauty, Old Irish nōib holy, Old Persian naiba- beautiful
1. : bright , shining — used chiefly in the phrase neat as a new pin
2.
a. : free from admixture or adulteration : undiluted
neat brandy
a remark is not to be taken neat , but watered with the ideas of common sense — O.W.Holmes †1894
b. : made without sand
neat cement
neat plaster
c. of raw silk : free from loops, lumps, breaks, or hairiness
3. obsolete : finely or smartly dressed
still to be neat , still to be dressed as if going to a feast — Ben Jonson
4.
a. : free from whatever clutters, blurs, or confuses : having sharp outlines on even, smooth surfaces
neat patch
neat joint
neat handwriting
b. : free from complication or irregularity or contradiction : simply or symmetrically arranged or constituted
neat set of rules
hated to have her neat plans upset
not all human problems have neat solutions
c. : achieved or performed with precision and economy of effort : deft , adroit
neat theft
a neat way of carving up a chicken
mathematics … retains the neat exactness of the surgeon's knife — Bertrand Russell
d. : clever , ingenious
saw through his neat little plan
neat device for shelling peas
e. : capable of quick and accurate performance
small neat hands
a neat -fingered worker
5. : orderly , tidy
neat housewife
the cat is neat in its habits
6.
a. : clear , net
neat profit
b. : gratifying
a neat little fortune
7. slang : wonderful , fine , admirable — used to express general enthusiastic approval
neat bicycle
we had a neat time at the circus
Synonyms:
tidy , trim , trig , snug , shipshape , spick-and-span : neat may call forth suggestions of blended clearness and order, particularly the latter, freedom from clutter, jumble, disorder, confusion, complication, or adventitious addition
she could be to the last degree slatternly. Or she could be as neat as a pin — Arnold Bennett
as a rule he was neat in his person, but now his clothes were in disorder — W.S.Maugham
neat minds, who prefer things in their proper places, ticketed and pigeon-holed — W.M.Dixon
tidy now commonly suggests a pleasing neatness and order diligently maintained
he's always tidy without being smart; his coat is old and his trousers are uncreased, but they're both clean, and nothing's loose or torn — Richard Harrison
he told me of his childhood in the tidy brick house, and of his mother's passionate orderliness — W.S.Maugham
trim suggests neat smartness like that given by clean lines, good proportion, and compact, orderly arragement
a trim clipper ship
spotless and trim, with shining spectacles and a white apron — Eden Phillpotts
the sward was trim as any garden lawn — Alfred Tennyson
trig may suggest jaunty neatness
so trig in fashionable clothes that he made me feel awkward and uncomfortable — Irving Bacheller
snug may suggest trim neatness with compact order in stowage and fine firmness of line and construction
a snug little ship
Farmer Matson reached the snug little cabin which was his headquarters — F.V.W.Mason
shipshape implies a tidiness and order befitting a ship likely to undergo sudden peril or difficulty
in shipshape order
leaving the account in shipshape condition
spick-and-span suggests the brightness and freshness of the completely clean
no spots came on his clothes. No slovenly habits crept upon him. He was always spick-and-span — W.A.White
the automobile owner who likes to keep his car spick-and-span between washings — New Yorker
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. obsolete : to make neat : trim , groom
2. obsolete : net IV
IV. ˈnēt, usu -ēd.+V adverb
: neatly