Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - neat

 I. noun  (plural ~ or ~s)  Etymology: Middle English neet, from Old English neat; akin to Old High German noz head of cattle, Old English neotan to make use of, Lithuanian nauda use  Date: before 12th century the common domestic bovine (Bos taurus)  II. adjective  Etymology: Middle French net, from Latin nitidus bright, ~, from nitere to shine; probably akin to Middle Irish niam luster  Date: 1542  1. free from dirt and disorder ; habitually clean and orderly  2.  a. free from admixture or dilution ; straight ~ brandy ~ cement  b. free from irregularity ; smooth ~ silk  3. marked by tasteful simplicity a ~ outfit  4.  a. precise, systematic  b. marked by skill or ingenuity ; adroit  5. net ~ profit  6. fine, admirable  • ~ly adverb  • ~ness noun  III. adverb  Date: 1649  1. in a ~ manner his hair combed back ~ — J. M. Cain  2. without admixture or dilution ; straight