CultureAugust 9, 2026

novella

no-VELL-uh

Definition

A work of written, fictional narrative prose that is longer than a short story but shorter and less complex than a full-length novel.

Etymology

Derived from the Italian word 'novella', meaning 'new' or 'news', which traces back to the Latin 'novellus', the diminutive form of 'novus' (new).

In the news

The article uses the term to describe 'The Little Prince' by Antoine de Saint Exupéry, noting how its themes of childhood and exploration inform Kore-eda’s film.

Unboxing Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Imaginative Cinema

Read the full article ↗

FilmInk

Related words

Learn words like this every day

Meet new words every morning.

Newspoken pulls carefully chosen words from the day’s news — with clear definitions, context, and light review that makes them stick. Get it on your phone.