I. ˈnävəl noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French novele, from feminine of novel new, from Latin novellus, from novus new
1.
a. chiefly dialect : newness , novelty
b. obsolete : a piece of news
2.
[Italian novella ]
a. archaic : novella 1 — usually used in plural
b. : an invented prose narrative of considerable length and a certain complexity that deals imaginatively with human experience through a connected sequence of events involving a group of persons in a specific setting
c. : the literary type constituted by such narratives
the novel is the chief literary form of the present day
3. usually capitalized
[New Latin novella, from Late Latin novellae constitutiones, literally, new statutes]
: a Roman imperial enactment issued supplementary to a code ; especially : one of a collection of statutes of Justinian and his immediate successors promulgated subsequent to the Justinian Code
the nine collations, the legal standard of modern tribunals, consist of ninety-eight Novels — Edward Gibbon
II. adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French
1. : not resembling something formerly known : having no precedent : new
the great geographical discoveries posed novel practical problems in navigation — S.F.Mason
the opportunity to experiment in providing four-year courses on novel lines — James Britton
2. : original or striking in conception or style : strange , unusual
if a man cannot write what is new, at least he can write what is novel — Richard Hallet
the feverish search for the novel and the disquieting, the odd, and the macabre — Bernard Smith
Synonyms: see new