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]
   • 1873, Fitzedward Hall, Modern English, page 294:

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

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

     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:
     , 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.

Further reading

• Dictionary.com's entry for neoteric.

Anagrams

• erection