Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

neat

/ˈniːt/ adjective

In Latin: merus Wiktionary

adjective Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about neat at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Clean or organized.
her neat dress
Showing care in execution.
neat homework
Free from clumsiness; precisely or deftly executed.
he landed a clean left on his opponent's cheek

Origin

From Middle English nete, net, nette, from Anglo-Norman neit (“good, desirable, clean”), a variant of Old French net, nette (“clean, clear, pure”), from Latin nitidus (“gleaming”), derived from nitēre (“to shine”). Doublet of net and nitid. Cognate with German nett (“nice, kind”). Compare also nait.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word