nieuw

Nieuw is the Dutch adjective meaning "new." It describes something that has recently come into existence, has recently been introduced, or is not old. The term can refer to objects, ideas, or experiences that are not previously present to the speaker, as well as to modern or recent developments in general.

Etymology and cognates: Nieuw is related to the German neu and the English new. The word belongs to the West Germanic family and shares a common origin with these cognates, reflecting the same core sense of freshness or recent origin.

Grammar and inflection: In Dutch, adjectives typically inflect before a noun. With the indefinite article "een" before a singular noun, the form is "nieuw" (for example, een nieuw boek). When the noun is definite (with "de" or "het") or in plural form, the adjective takes an -e ending: het nieuwe boek, de nieuwe auto, nieuwe boeken. Some adjectives can also occur in reduced forms in certain fixed expressions, but nieuw generally follows the standard rule.

Usage and nuance: Nieuw emphasizes recent creation or novelty but can also imply modernity or freshness. It contrasts with oud (old) and with fris (fresh in the sense of recently made). The noun form "het nieuws" refers to news, a related but distinct use of the root meaning.

Common compounds and related terms: Nieuw is a productive base in compounds and phrases such as nieuwjaar (New Year), nieuwbouw (new construction), and nieuwbericht or nieuwsbericht (news item). While related terms exist, the word nieuw itself remains primarily an adjective describing recentness, with its noun form beperkt to het nieuws in contemporary usage.