newfangled

[prettygoodword]

newfangled (noo-FANG-guhld, NYOO-fang-guhld) - adj., (often derogatory) of the newest style or kind; attracted to novelty.


I include that second meaning even though I don't think I've met it before because it's the original sense, dating back to the mid-15th century as newefanglyd, and even earlier in the form newefangel, from new + fangel, taken/fond of. So no, newfangled is not self-describing. (If I had to guess, I would have thought it a colorful 19th century Americanism.)

---L.

Comments

[julian]

The thing I had no idea about until a few months ago is that it's in the *Canterbury Tales*. (Well, 'newfanglednesse', anyway.)

[prettygoodword]

Thomas Wyatt also used newfangleness, ~150 years later but still

[med_cat]

Very interesting etymology, thanks