*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of news

From Middle English newes, newys (“new things”), equivalent to new (noun) + -s (plural suffix). Compare Saterland Frisian Näis (“news”), East Frisian näjs (“news”), West Frisian nijs (“news”), Dutch nieuws (“news”), Germ

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
noun

plural of new

verb

To report; to make known.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English newes, newys (“new things”), equivalent to new (noun) + -s (plural suffix). Compare Saterland Frisian Näis (“news”), East Frisian näjs (“news”), West Frisian nijs (“news”), Dutch nieuws (“news”), German Low German Neeis (“new things; news”), though, unlike the English word, those cognates originated as genitives, not as plurals. Sometimes erroneously claimed to be an acronym of "North, East, West, South" or "Noteworthy Events, Weather, Sports".

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionnewesenm
  • Cognate mentionNäisstq · news
  • Cognate mentionnijsfy · news
  • Cognate mentionnieuwsnl · news
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "newes"
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      "expansion": "Middle English newes"
    },
    {
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "new#Noun<pos:n>",
        "3": "s<pos:plural suffix>"
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    },
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    },
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        "2": "nijs",
        "t": "news"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian nijs (“news”)"
    },
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      "args": {
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        "2": "nieuws",
        "t": "news"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch nieuws (“news”)"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds-de",
        "2": "Neeis",
        "t": "new things; news"
      },
      "expansion": "German Low German Neeis (“new things; news”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "lg",
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      },
      "expansion": "cognate"
    },
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      "name": "lg",
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        "1": "genitive"
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    ],
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    ],
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    ],
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      "näjs",
      "näjs#Low_German"
    ],
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      "nijs",
      "nijs#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "nieuws",
      "nieuws#Dutch"
    ],
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      "Neeis#Low_German"
    ],
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      "acronym",
      "acronym"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "glosses": [
        "plural of new"
      ],
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        "To report; to make known."
      ],
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Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

New information of interest. · Information about current events disseminated by the media. · Messages posted on newsgroups.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English newes, newys (“new things”), equivalent to new (noun) + -s (plural suffix). Compare Saterland Frisian Näis (“news”), East Frisian näjs (“news”), West Frisian nijs (“news”), Dutch nieuws (“news”), German Low German Neeis (“new things; news”), though, unlike the English word, those cognates originated as genitives, not as plurals. Sometimes erroneously claimed to be an acronym of "North, East, West, South" or "Noteworthy Events, Weather, Sports".

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionnewesenm
  • Cognate mentionNäisstq · news
  • Cognate mentionnijsfy · news
  • Cognate mentionnieuwsnl · news
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "newes"
      },
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    },
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      "expansion": "Dutch nieuws (“news”)"
    },
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      "args": {
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      },
      "expansion": "German Low German Neeis (“new things; news”)"
    },
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      "expansion": "cognate"
    },
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      "lang": "Sranan Tongo",
      "lang_code": "srn",
      "word": "nyunsu"
    }
  ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for news →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bmV3cw