Kilo Lingo

/nœf/

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Translation

nine; new

Word origin

Two homonyms converge: the numeral 'nine' from Latin novem, and the adjective 'new' from Latin novus. Both descend from the same Proto-Indo-European family of 'new' and 'nine'.

Origin
Latin
Root
novem / novus
English cognates
novem, novel, November

Grammar

Feminineneuve
Masc pluralneufs
Fem pluralneuves

Examples

.

There were nine people around the table during the meeting.

J' .

I bought a brand-new flat in the new district of the city.

, .

At the age of nine, she began learning the piano.

, l' -.

My bike is brand new, I bought it yesterday afternoon.

au ?

What's new since our last meeting at the cafe?

a deux sens distincts : le chiffre neuf (nine) et l'adjectif new / brand-new (sens different de nouveau). En tant que chiffre, le f se prononce /f/ devant voyelle (neuf ans /nœvɑ̃/) mais souvent muet devant consonne. En tant qu'adjectif de nouveaute, neuf implique que la chose n'a jamais ete utilisee.

Flambant neuf (brand new) est une locution intensive. Quoi de neuf ? (What's new?) est une formule de salutation. Distinguer neuf (brand new, unused) de nouveau (new, recent, different) : une nouvelle voiture peut etre d'occasion, une voiture neuve ne l'est jamais.

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neuf: worksheet, infographic and listicle

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This word is part of lesson 14.