nouveau

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French nouveau. Recognized as English in 1828.

Adjective

nouveau (not comparable)

1. New, fashionable.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• art nouveau
• nouveau riche

• nouvelle cuisine
• nouvelle vague

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French

Etymology

From Middle French nouveau, from Old French novel, from Latin novellus, from novus (“new”), from Proto-Italic *nowos, from Proto-Indo-European *néwos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nu.vo/

• Audio (France, Paris):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -o
• Homophone: nouveaux

Adjective

nouveau (masculine singular nouvel, feminine nouvelle, masculine plural nouveaux, feminine plural nouvelles)

1. new

Usage notes

• nouveau is a French adjective which when possessing an attributive function can precede its noun.
• When used in the masculine singular, nouveau becomes nouvel before a word beginning with a vowel or a mute h.

Derived terms

• art nouveau
• nouveau riche

Noun

nouveau m (plural nouveaux, feminine nouvelle)

1. New person, new thing.

Antonyms

• vieux (old)

Derived terms

• de nouveau
• à nouveau

Related terms

• neuf
• nouvelle
• novice
• innover
• rénover
• renouveler

Further reading

• “nouveau”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Middle French

Etymology

From Old French novel, from Latin novellus, from novus (“new”).

Adjective

nouveau m (feminine singular nouvelle, masculine plural nouveaux, feminine plural nouvelles)

1. new

Antonyms

• (new): vieulx

Descendants

• French: nouveau