neo

Not valid in Scrabble

It's a recognised English word, but it isn't in the official NASPA Scrabble word list.

Scrabble points: 3
Words With Friends: 4
Letters: 3

Pronunciation

/ˈniːəʊ/

Definition of neo

11 senses · 2 parts of speech · etymology included

noun

(abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism)Initialism of near-Earth object.

“Near-Earth objects (NEOs) that follow horseshoe paths, and approach our planet at close range and low relative velocity, may undergo mini-moon events in which their geocentric energy becomes negative for hours, days or months, but without completing one revolution around Earth while bound. An example of NEO experiencing such a temporarily captured flyby is 2022 NX₁, which was a short-lived mini-moon in 1981 and 2022.”

See all 11 definitions

noun

(abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism)Initialism of near-Earth object.

“Near-Earth objects (NEOs) that follow horseshoe paths, and approach our planet at close range and low relative velocity, may undergo mini-moon events in which their geocentric energy becomes negative for hours, days or months, but without completing one revolution around Earth while bound. An example of NEO experiencing such a temporarily captured flyby is 2022 NX₁, which was a short-lived mini-moon in 1981 and 2022.”
(abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, countable, uncountable)Acronym of new engine option.
(abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, dated, slang)Clipping of neofan.

“Ken Bulmer pointed out that the attitude of a fan who had read much sf is different from that of a neo who is reading sf for the first time.”
“This fabulous fannish cover illustrated the three stages of fandom: the neo, the trufan, and the BNF.”
“Edwina, and neofen of her generation (this is not a criticism - everyone starts out as a neo), being new to sffandom, and not a member of faandom, would not have noticed this.”
(abbreviation, alt-of, clipping)Clipping of neoconservative.

“The neos seem to be no less uncomfortable with the paleos than the paleos are with the neos, […]”
“Some say the neos are good for what ails us on both foreign and domestic fronts, while others are quick to debate that.”
(abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, in-plural)Clipping of neopronoun.
(abbreviation, alt-of, clipping)Clipping of neodymium.

“The most important application of dysprosium and terbium, which belong to a subgroup known as the heavy rare earths, is in devices called neodymium boron magnets, or neo magnets for short.”
(alt-of)Alternative letter-case form of NEO.

name

A male given name originating as a coinage.
A surname.
An optimized German keyboard layout supporting nearly all Latin-based alphabets.
(uncountable)An international auxiliary language created by Arturo Alfandari in 1961, combining features of Esperanto, Ido, Novial, and Volapük.

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

Recent coinage from the prefix neo- (“new”). Popularized by a character in the science-fiction film The Matrix (1999), where it is explained as an anagram of "(the) One".