Novel
/ˈnɒv.əl/noun
A fictional prose narrative of book length, or something new and original.
Did you know?The word came into English through Old French, and for centuries it could simply mean “new” before it became the name of a long fictional story.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*néwos
“new”
Latin
Latin
novus
“new, fresh, recent”
Old French
Old French
novel
“new, recent; a short tale”
Middle English
English
novel
“new, unusual; a short prose tale”
Modern English
English
novel
“a long fictional prose narrative; new and original”