Nuwe

Nuwe is a historical orthographic variant of the Dutch adjective meaning "new." In Middle Dutch and Early Modern Dutch texts, the spelling "nuwe" appears alongside other forms such as "nieuwe" and "nieuw," reflecting regional and diachronic variation before spelling norms were standardized. Today, "nuwe" is largely archaic in contemporary standard Dutch.

In current usage, the common forms are nieuw (masculine and neuter singular) and nieuwe (feminine plural or feminine forms). The form "nuwe" is typically found only in quotations that imitate older language, in linguistic discussions of historical sources, or in dialectal spellings preserved in certain regional inscriptions and archives. Its presence can help linguists trace the history of Dutch orthography and pronunciation.

Pronunciation would have aligned closely with modern equivalents in many dialects, even as spelling and norms shifted over time. The word serves as an example of orthographic evolution from Middle Dutch to modern Dutch and illustrates how historical texts preserve alternate spellings that fell out of everyday use.

Geographic and historical context: The occurrence of "nuwe" in a manuscript can signal date, authorial choice, or scribal practice, making it of interest to philologists and historians studying Dutch linguistic history.

See also: Dutch language, Middle Dutch, Old Dutch, Nieuwe.