English
neoteric
Neoteric comes from Late Latin neotericus, from Ancient Greek νέος ‘new’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nu ‘now’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nu1‘now’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*néwos2‘new’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*néwos3‘new’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνέος4néos‘new’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEneotericus4
- Englishearliest quotation 1873neoteric4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *néwos
- 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Hellenic *néwos
- 3 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek νέος
- 4 Wiktionary, English neoteric
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1873, Fitzedward Hall, Modern English: “Among our neoteric verbs, those in -ize are exceedingly…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nuWiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *néwos‘now’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*néwosWiktionary, Proto-Hellenic *néwos‘new’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*néwosWiktionary, Ancient Greek νέος‘new’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEνέοςWiktionary, English neotericnéos‘new’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEneotericusWiktionary, English neoteric
- Englishearliest quotation 1873neotericWiktionary, English neoteric. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1873, Fitzedward Hall, Modern English: “Among our neoteric verbs, those in -ize are exceedingly…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *nu ‘now’
renovation, innovator, innovate, renovate, noo, telenovela, novation, 10 more
through Proto-Indo-European *néwos ‘new’
new, novel, innovation, newly, nova, newer, novice, nuevo, newness, novitiate, 15 more
through Ancient Greek νέος ‘new’
Today it means
adj Modern, new-fangled.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “neoteric”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *néwos, Proto-Hellenic *néwos, Ancient Greek νέος. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *nu / neoteric