† newenadv.

Forms: Old English neon (chiefly Anglian), Old English neowan (chiefly Anglian), Old English newan (chiefly Anglian), Old English niwan, Old English niwane, Old English niwon, early Middle English neawene, early Middle English neouwen, early Middle English neowen, early Middle English neowene, early Middle English neuwen, early Middle English newene, early Middle English newenn ( Ormulum), early Middle English niwen, early Middle English nuene, early Middle English nyuwene, Middle English neuen.

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.

Etymology: Cognate with Old High German niuwanes , niuwenes (Middle High German niuwenes , niuwens , niwens ) < the same Germanic base as new adj. Compare new adv.

Obsolete.

a. Newly, recently.

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the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > newness or novelty > recency > [adverb]

neweneOE

newlyeOE

unyoreeOE

noweOE

newOE

lateOE

yesterdaya1300

freshlya1387

of newa1393

anewa1425

newlingsa1425

latewardc1434

the other dayc1450

lately?c1475

erst1480

latewards1484

sith late1484

alatea1500

recently1509

even now1511

late-whiles1561

late ygo1579

formerly1590

just now1591

lastly1592

just1605

low1610

this moment1696

latewardly1721

shortsyne1768

sometime1779

latterly1821

eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) ii. vi. 49 Hie ofslogan þone ænne consul þe hie þa niwan geset hæfdon.

OE Latin-Old Eng. Gloss. (Cambr. Kk 3.18) in Jrnl. Eng. & Germanic Philol. (1961) 60 444 Paulo ante, newan.

OE Blickling Homilies 177 Nu niwan gelamp þæt ic me sylf onfand [etc.].

lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) xxxix. 126 Se weas geworden niwane.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 7063 Whær iss þe iudewisshe king. Þatt borenn iss nu newenn.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 10320 Ænne castel..þe wes neouwen [c1300 Otho newene] iworht.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 3591 Buten he beo neowene icume.

b. Anew, afresh, over again. rare.

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OE Inscription on Sundial, Kirkdale Church, Yorks. in E. Okasha Hand-list of Anglo-Saxon non-runic Inscriptions (1971) 88 He hit [sc. the church] let macan newan from grvnde.

2. Shortly, soon.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > different time > [adverb] > imminently or in the near future

ratheeOE

rathelyeOE

soonc900

shortlya1050

newenc1175

newlya1225

nunonc1225

newenlyc1275

fast byc1300

tomorrowa1382

brieflyc1460

anonc1475

soonlyc1475

of newa1500

suddenlya1500

by and by1526

soon1545

imminently1548

short1556

erelong1577

eminently1646

bimeby1722

directly1851

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 173 He shall newenn cumenn forþ Till mann kinn her o life. Biforenn crist.

c1300 St. Julian Hospitable (Laud) 140 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 260 (MED) Boþe ȝe schullen with alle Ioye newene [a1325 Corpus Cambr. nyuwene] come him to.

a1450 MS Bodl. 779 in Archiv f. das Studium der Neueren Sprachen (1889) 82 375 (MED) Ic wepe for þis þing [read king], þat neuen chal I-martrid ben.

Derivatives

newenly adv. rare shortly, soon.

ΘΚΠ