New, a. [Compar. Newer; superl. Newest.]
Etymology: [OE. OE. newe, AS. niwe, neowe; akin to D. nieuw, OS. niwi, OHG. niuwi, G. neu, Icel. n, Dan. & Sw. ny, Goth. niujis, Lith. naujas, Russ. novuii, Ir. nua, nuadh, Gael. nuadh, W. newydd, Armor. nevez, L. novus, gr. nava, and prob. to E. now. Now, and cf. Announce, Innovate, Neophyte, Novel.]
1. Having existed, or having been made, but a short time; having originated or occured lately; having recently come into existence, or into one's possession; not early or long in being; of late origin; recent; fresh; modern; -- opposed to old, as, a new coat; a new house; a new book; a new fashion. "Your new wife." Chaucer.
2. Not before seen or known, although existing before; lately manifested; recently discovered; as, a new metal; a new planet; new scenes.
3. Newly beginning or recurring; starting anew; now commencing; different from has been; as, a new year; a new course or direction.
4. As if lately begun or made; having the state or quality of original freshness; also, changed for the better; renovated; unworn; untried; unspent; as, rest and travel made him a new man. Steadfasty purposing to lead a new life. Bk. of Com. Prayer. Men after long emaciating diets, fat, and almost new. Bacon.
4 more senses
5. Not of ancient extraction, or of a family of ancient descent; not previously kniwn or famous. Addison.
6. Not habituated; not familiar; unaccustomed. New to the plow, unpracticed in the trace. Pope.
7. Fresh from anything; newly come. New from her sickness to that northern air. Dryden. New birth. See under Birth. -- New Church, or New Jerusalem Church, the church holding the doctrines taught by Emanuel Swedenborg. See Swedenborgian. -- New heart (Theol.), a heart or character changed by the power of God, so as to be governed by new and holy motives. -- New land, land ckeared and cultivated for the first time. -- New light. (Zoöl.) See Crappie. -- New moon. (a) The moon in its first quarter, or when it first appears after being invisible. (b) The day when the new moon is first seen; the first day of the lunar month, which was a holy day among the Jews. 2 Kings iv. 23. -- New Red Sandstone (Geol.), an old name for the formation immediately above the coal measures or strata, now divided into the Permian and Trias. See Sandstone. -- New style. See Style. -- New testament. See under Testament. -- New world, the land of the Western Hemisphere; -- so called because not known to the inhabitants of the Eastern Hemisphere until recent times.
Syn. -- Novel; recent; fresh; modern. See Novel.
2 other Webster entries under this spelling
New, adv.
Newly; recently. Chaucer.
Note: New is much used in composition, adverbially, in the sense of newly, recently, to quality other words, as in new-born, new-formed, new-found, new-mown. Of new, anew. [Obs.] Chaucer.
New, v. t. & i.
To make new; to renew. [Obs.]
Shades of meaning
That which is new has lately come into existence, possession, or use; a new house is just built, or in a more general sense is one that has just come into the possession of the present owner or occupant. Modern denotes that which has begun to exist in the present age, and is still existing; recent denotes that which has come into existence within a comparatively brief period, and may or may not be existing still. Modern history pertains to any period since the middle ages; modern literature, modern architecture, etc., are not strikingly remote from the styles and types prevalent to-day. That which is late is somewhat removed from the present, but not far enough to be called old. That which is recent is not quite so sharply distinguished from the past as that which is new; recent publications range over a longer time than new books. That which is novel is either absolutely or relatively unprecedented in kind; a novel contrivance is one that has never before been known; a novel experience is one that has never before occurred to the same person; that which is new may be of a familiar or even of an ancient sort, as a new copy of an old book. Young and youthful are applied to that which has life; that which is young is possessed of a comparatively new existence as a living thing, possessing actual youth; that which is youthful manifests the attributes of youth. (Compare youthful.) Fresh applies to that which has the characteristics of newness or youth, while capable of deterioration by lapse of time; that which is unworn, unspoiled, or unfaded; as, a fresh countenance, fresh eggs, fresh flowers. New is opposed to old, modern to ancient, recent to remote, young to old, aged, etc.