Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - novel

(novels) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. A novel is a long written story about imaginary people and events. ...a novel by Herman Hesse... ...historical novels set in the time of the Pharaohs. N-COUNT 2. Novel things are new and different from anything that has been done, experienced, or made before. Protesters found a novel way of demonstrating against steeply rising oil prices... The very idea of a sixth form college was novel in 1962. ADJ