neoteric

neoteric

English

Alternative forms

• neoterical, neoterick (obsolete)

Etymology

From Late Latin neotericus, from Hellenistic Greek νεωτερικός (neōterikós), from comparative of Ancient Greek νέος (néos, “new”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /niːə(ʊ)ˈtɛɹɪk/

Adjective

neoteric (not comparable)

1. Modern, new-fangled. [1590s[1]]
   • 1873, Fitzedward Hall, Modern English, page 294

     Among our neoteric verbs, those in -ize are exceedingly numerous.

2. New; recent. [1590s[1]]
   • 1998, The Toronto Star, August 21

     Should it all come crashing in on us . . . will there be enough luddites, whose hands remember, to free us from the chains of neoteric technology?

   • 1997, Espen Aarseth, Cybertext

     A few words on the two neoteric terms, cybertext and ergodic, are in order.

Noun

neoteric (plural neoterics)

1. A modern author (especially as opposed to a classical writer).
   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, OCLC 54573970:

     , Bk.I, New York, 2001, p.140:

     Galen himself writes promiscuously of them both by reason of their affinity; but most of our neoterics do handle them apart, whom I will follow in this treatise.

2. Someone with new or modern ideas.
3. (historical) any poet who belonged to the neoterics, a series of avant-garde Latin poets who wrote in the 1st century BC such as Catullus, Helvius Cinna, Publius Valerius Cato, Marcus Furius Bibaculus and Quintus Cornificius.

References

1. Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “neoteric”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Further reading

• Dictionary.com's entry for neoteric.

Anagrams

• erection