English edit

Etymology edit

From novel +‎ -ette.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

novelette (plural novelettes)

  1. (literature) A short novel. [from 18th c.]
    Synonym: novella
    Coordinate terms: short story, novella, novel
    • 2016 November 30, Adam Roberts, “The best SF and fantasy books of 2016”, in The Guardian[1]:
      Best novella was Nnedi Okorafor’s African-flavoured space opera Binti (Tor), while best novelette was Folding Beijing by Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu.
  2. (music) A short piece of lyrical music, especially one for the piano.

Usage notes edit

  • Some literary awards have a longer novella and a shorter novelette categories, with a distinction based on word count.

Translations edit

Further reading edit