news English · revision 2023

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation, calque|attested=before 1382 (Wycliffe Bible)}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /njuːz/, US /nuːz/, /njuːz/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English [[m|enm|newes]], the plural of the noun [[new]] “a new thing”,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(AHD 2000) modelled on [[fro|noveles]] (modern [[m|fr|nouvelles]]), plural of [[m|fro|novele]], or on [[la-med|nova|t=new things]], plural of [[m|la-med|novum]].^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002)^(Hoad 1986)^(RHWU) The French word had been used in Bible translations to render the Medieval Latin one.^(Etymonline) The Shorter Oxford compares the plural form of [[odds]].^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ New things, novelties: before 1382, in the Wycliffe Bible.^(Barnhart 1988)^(SOED 2002) The singular noun ''newe'' “a new thing” is older, from about 1200.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The sense “tidings, report of recent events” is recorded in 1417 by the HTOED^(HTOED) and probably before 1437 by Barnhart.^(Barnhart 1988) ''News'' has been treated as singular since at least the 1560s, though it was sometimes still plural from the 17th to the 19th century,^(Etymonline) and the original sense “novelties” died out in the 16th century.^(SOED 2002) The doubtful number probably encouraged the folk etymology that ''news'' stands for North, East, West and South, which is attested by 1640, mostly in jest-books.^(Etymonline)^(AHD) ''Newspaper'' is from 1670,^(Barnhart 1988) and ''the news'' meant the newspapers from 1738 to 1888.^(HTOED) A radio or television news programme is from 1923.^(Etymonline) ''Bad news'' “an unpleasant person or situation” is from 1926, ''no news is good news'' goes back to the 1640s, and ''that's news to me'' to 1889.^(Etymonline) The verb “to report, to spread as news” (1640s) survives only in dialect.^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1200 – ''newe'', a new thing.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * before 1382 – ''newes'', new things (Wycliffe Bible).^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1417 – tidings.^(HTOED)

+ * 1560s – treated as singular.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1640 – the NEWS acronym joke.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1640s – verb, to report.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1670 – ''newspaper''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1871 – ''newsstand''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1923 – a news broadcast.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1926 – ''bad news'', an unpleasant person.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # Information about recent events, especially as reported in [[newspaper|alt=newspapers]] or on radio and television.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # A [[broadcast]] or report of such information.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # New information of any kind.^(AHD)^(HTOED)

+ # Material worth reporting.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[newsless]]

+ * [[newslessness]]

+ * [[newsagent]]

+ * [[newsboy]]

+ * [[newscast]]

+ * [[newsgirl]]

+ * [[newsgroup]]

+ * [[newshawk]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[new]]

+ * [[novel]]

+ * [[tidings]]

+ * [[newspaper]]

+ * [[odds]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The AHD and Etymonline both reject the story that ''news'' is formed from the initials of the four compass points.^(AHD)^(Etymonline) The AHD groups ''news'' with ''advice'', ''intelligence'', ''tidings'' and ''word'', all words for information about events not known before.^(AHD)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}