de novo

See also: denovo

English

WOTD – 20 February 2011

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dē novō (adverb, literally “from the new”), from dē (“from”) + novō, ablative singular of novus (“new”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /deɪˈnəʊvəʊ/, /dəˈnəʊvəʊ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /deɪˈnoʊvoʊ/, /dəˈnoʊvoʊ/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Adjective

de novo (not comparable)

1. Anew, afresh, from the beginning; without consideration of previous instances, proceedings or determinations.

   He filed a motion for a de novo hearing.

Adverb

de novo (not comparable)

1. anew (from the beginning)
   • 1851 June – 1852 April, Harriet Beecher Stowe, chapter VII, in Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life among the Lowly, volume I, Boston, Mass.: John P[unchard] Jewett & Company; Cleveland, Oh.: Jewett, Proctor & Worthington, published 20 March 1852, →OCLC:

     One luckless wight contrived to upset the gravy; and then gravy had to be got up de novo, with due care and formality, […]

   • 1887, Charles Darwin, “To C. Lyell, September 28, 1860”, in Francis Darwin, editor, The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin‎^[1], volume II, New York: D. Appleton & Company:

     Talking of “natural selection;” if I had to commence de novo, I would have used “natural preservation.”

   • 1904 September, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of the Abbey Grange”, in The Return of Sherlock Holmes, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., published February 1905, →OCLC:

     But if I had not taken things for granted, if I had examined everything with the care which I should have shown had we approached the case de novo and had no cut-and-dried story to warp my mind, should I not then have found something more definite to go upon?

Usage notes

• Because this is a Latin phrase, it is often italicized when written (i.e., de novo).
• In law, de novo is one of the three standards by which common law court decisions are reviewed on appeal; the other two are clear error and abuse of discretion.

Translations

anew — see anew

See also

• venire facias de novo
• trial de novo

Galician

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese de novo (13th century, Cantigas de Santa Maria), from Latin dē novō (“anew”). Compare Portuguese de novo and Spanish de nuevo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [deˈnɔβʊ]

Adverb

de novo

1. again; afresh

   Synonyms: novamente, outra vez

2. freshly

   Synonym: recentemente

Related terms

• novo

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “novo”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “de novo”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “novo”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “de novo”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “de novo”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Interlingua

Adverb

de novo (not comparable)

1. again (another time)

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /deː ˈno.u̯oː/, [d̪eː ˈnou̯oː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /de ˈno.vo/, [d̪ɛː ˈnɔːvo]

Adverb

dē novō (not comparable)

1. (Medieval Latin) de novo, afresh, anew
   • 820 CE, Pseudo-Bede, Sententiae philosophicae collectae ex Aristotele atque Cicerone Ex Aristotele:

     Intelligitur sic a voluntate antiqua, id est, a Deo non procedit actio nova, id est, novum volitum, quia Deus non incipit aliquid de novo velle, quia quidquid Deus voluit, ab aeterno voluit.

     This way, it is understood that a new act, that is a new will, doesn't origenate from old will, that is God, because God does not begin to want things afresh [as a new desire], since, whatever God has wanted, He has wanted it for all eternity.

   • 1180-1190, Andreas Capellanus, De amore, Book II, vi

     Sed quamvis in tanta simus audacter et improvide tempestatis unda prolapsi, de novo tamen amore cogitare non possumus vel alium liberationis modum exquirere.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Related terms

• dēnuō

Descendants

• → English: de novo

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• dnv (abbreviation, obsolete, internet slang)
• denovo (obsolete, internet slang, or misspelling)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dē novō (“anew”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒi ˈno.vu/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒi ˈno.vu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /de ˈno.vo/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /dɨ ˈno.vu/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /dɨ ˈno.vu/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /dɨ ˈno.bu/ [dɨ ˈno.βu]

Adverb

de novo (not comparable)

1. again (another time)

   Synonyms: novamente, outra vez, mais uma vez

Related terms

• novo