Etymologically
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newcomer

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈnjuːkʌmə/, /ˈn(j)uˌkʌmɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English new + comer,[2][3][4] perhaps after the adjective neue-comen (“recently come, just arrived”),[2][5] which goes back to Old English nīwcumen (“newly come”).[6][5] Old English also used nīwcumen as a noun for a newly arrived person or a novice in a religious house,[7][6] compare Old High German niuwiquemo (“novice”).[7] Comer, one who comes or has lately arrived, is formed from English come + -er and recorded from 1390.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person or thing that has recently come to a place or situation, a new arrival: about 1450, in John Capgrave's Solace of Pilgrims;[2] Etymonline dates it to the mid-15th century.[6] The OED's first sense already includes a novice.[2]

Semantic evolution

The past-participle adjective new-come, just arrived, is recorded from about 1200,[6] and Middle English had comeling for a newcomer or stranger from the mid-13th century.[6] Dictionary.com dates newcomer from 1585–95,[4] and the OED records its attributive use, of a newcomer, from 1927.[2] Merriam-Webster also lists something that is rising toward prominence.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 1200 – the adjective new-come, just arrived.[6]
  • 1390 – comer, one who comes.[6]
  • c. 1450 – a new arrival; a novice.[2]
  • 1927 – attributive, that is a newcomer.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A person who has recently arrived in a place, such as a new resident or immigrant: The village held a supper to welcome the newcomers.[9][8][3]
  2. A person who has only recently begun an activity; a novice or beginner.[8][3][2]
  3. Something new that is rising to prominence, such as a new product or competitor.[8][2]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement
  8. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins