new
Recently made, discovered, or created; not existing before.
Etymology
From Old English nīwe, from Proto-Germanic *niwjaz, from PIE *néwos "new." Exceptionally stable across all branches. This root gives us "novel," "novice," "nova" (a "new" star), "innovate," "renovate," and "news." Greek néos gives us "neon" (the "new" gas) and "neo-" prefix.
The Journey: *néwos → new
*néwos
*niwjaz
nīwe
newe
new
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *néwos. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Greek | néos |
| Latin | novus |
| Welsh | newydd |
| Hittite | newa- |
| Armenian | nor |
| Sanskrit | náva |
| Old Irish | núe |
| Lithuanian | naũjas |
| Old Church Slavonic | novŭ |
Did You Know?
Neon gas was named "new" because it had just been discovered (1898). And "news" is simply the plural of "new" — new things. A "nova" is a "new star" suddenly appearing in the sky. The PIE root *néwos has been meaning "new" for at least 6,000 years — ironically, the oldest word for newness.
This word descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *néwos. See the full root page for descendant trees, sound law references, and scholarly discussion.