Etymologically
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nuovo

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Pronunciation

Forms

nuovo (feminine nuova, masculine plural nuovi, feminine plural nuove, superlative nuovissimo)[1] The form without the diphthong, novo, is literary, popular or regional.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin novus (“new”).[5][6][7][1] The word is pan-Romance: French neuf, Occitan nuou, Catalan nou, Spanish nuevo, Portuguese novo, Friulian ñuf, Sardinian nou and Romanian nou.[6][8][9]

The Latin adjective comes from Proto-Italic *nowos, from Proto-Indo-European *néwos (“new”), which may itself be built on the word for “now”.[1][10] It belongs to the shared vocabulary of the Indo-European languages: Ancient Greek νέος (néos), Sanskrit नव (náva), Hittite nēu̯a-, Old Church Slavonic новъ (novŭ), Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌹𐍃 (niujis) and English new.[6][10][1] Devoto notes that the Germanic and Celtic forms continue an extended stem in ⟨-yo-⟩.[11][10] Wiktionary explains that the Latin form did not become ⟨*nuus⟩ because its ⟨-ow-⟩ stood in the first syllable, while ⟨*dē nowōd⟩ “anew” did become dēnuō.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is an account book of 1211, with the sense “made, known or happened recently, seen for the first time”.[5][7] The feminine used as a noun, nuova “news”, follows in the 13th century in the Anonimo Genovese.[5][6]

Semantic evolution

The adjective has kept its Latin range from the start.[5][12] Cielo d'Alcamo's lover offers “to esto cortello novo” (take this new knife) to the woman who refuses him.[13] Dante's Vita nuova uses the word for “youthful”, and the literary superlative novissimo “last” comes from Latin novissimus: the quattro novissimi are death, judgement, hell and paradise.[14]

Set phrases followed: il nuovo mondo for America, nuovo di zecca “brand new” (literally “new from the mint”), and the proverb anno nuovo, vita nuova “new year, new life”.[2][15][3] Nuovo di trinca “brand new” has parallels in Catalan, Spanish and Portuguese.[8] Since the 13th century nuova has meant “news”, and novista was once a person who kept up with the news.[5][14]

Timeline

  • 1211 – Nuovo appears in an account book.[5]
  • 13th century – Nuova “news” is recorded in the Anonimo Genovese.[5]
  • End of the 12th century – Rinnovare, from Latin renovāre, is recorded.[6]
  • 14th century – Innovare is recorded.[6]
  • 1841 – Rinnovo appears.[6]
  • 1957 – Innovativo appears.[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. new, made, built or happened recently: Hanno aperto un nuovo ponte sul fiume.[7][2][16]
  2. Just bought, not yet used; also, though used, still in very good condition: La bici è come nuova.[7][2]
  3. Seen, heard or met for the first time, unfamiliar: Questo nome non mi è nuovo.[7][16][15]
  4. Just begun or about to begin: la settimana nuova.[7][16]
  5. Of crops, from the latest harvest: olio nuovo.[7][2]
  6. Another, further: Servono nuovi fondi.[7][4]
  7. Different, renewed, often for the better: un nuovo inizio.[7][16]
  8. Recently appointed to a role: il nuovo allenatore.[7][16]
  9. inexperienced, new to something: Sono nuovo del mestiere.[7]
  10. Seen as a second version of a famous person: un nuovo Leonardo.[7][16]

Noun

  1. What is new, novelty: Che c'è di nuovo?[7][2]
  2. (commerce) New goods, as against used ones.[7]

Word family

  • nuova
  • nuovamente
  • seminuovo
  • nuovismo
  • nuovista
  • novità
  • novizio
  • novello
  • rinnovare
  • innovare
  • innovazione
  • Latin novus

Usage notes

Di nuovo means “again”.[15][2] Before a noun the adjective often means “another, different” (un nuovo libro), after it “recently made” (un libro nuovo).[7][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  3. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  4. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  8. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
  10. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  11. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 299
  12. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  13. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 11, 676
  14. ^ a b Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 704
  15. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  16. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse