novel

Of recent origin or introduction; not old or established; new.

Previously unknown; new and striking; unusual; strange: as, a novel contrivance; a novel feature of the entertainment.

Young.

Synonyms Fresh, Recent, etc. See new.

Something new; a novelty.

A piece of news; news; tidings: usually in the plural.

In civil law, a new or supplemental constitution or decree; one of the novel constitutions of certain Roman emperors, so called because they appeared after the authentic publications of law made by these emperors.

A fictitious prose narrative or tale, involving some plot of more or less intricacy, and aiming to present a picture of real life in the historical period and society to which the persons, manners, and modes of speech, as well as the scenery and surroundings, are supposed to belong.

Synonyms Tale, Romance, Novel. Tale was at one time a favorite word for what would now be called a novel, as the tales of Miss Austen, and it is still used for a fiction whose chief interest lies in its events, as Marryat’s sea tales. “Works of Action may be divided into romances and novels. … The romance chooses the characters from remote, unfamiliar quarters, gives them a fanciful elevation in power and prowess, surrounds them by novel circumstances, verges on the supernatural or passes its limits, and makes much of fictitious sentiments, such as those which characterized chivalry. The poor sensational novel has points of close union with the earlier romance. … The novel, so far as it adheres to truth, and treats of life broadly, descending to the lowest in grade, deeply and with spiritual forecast, seeing to the bottom, is not only not open to these objections, but rather calls for … commendation.”

Of recent origin or introduction; not ancient; new; hence, out of the ordinary course; unusual; strange; surprising.