Revised 2003
Neapolitannoun & adjective
Factsheet
What does the word Neapolitan mean?
There are nine meanings listed in OED's entry for the word Neapolitan, three of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
Neapolitan has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
How common is the word Neapolitan?
About 0.9occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 4.4 |
| 1760 | 4.1 |
| 1770 | 4.0 |
| 1780 | 4.0 |
| 1790 | 3.5 |
| 1800 | 3.9 |
| 1810 | 4.3 |
| 1820 | 4.6 |
| 1830 | 4.9 |
| 1840 | 5.1 |
| 1850 | 4.6 |
| 1860 | 4.3 |
| 1870 | 3.9 |
| 1880 | 3.6 |
| 1890 | 3.1 |
| 1900 | 2.9 |
| 1910 | 2.6 |
| 1920 | 2.1 |
| 1930 | 1.8 |
| 1940 | 1.6 |
| 1950 | 1.4 |
| 1960 | 1.2 |
| 1970 | 1.1 |
| 1980 | 0.95 |
| 1990 | 0.83 |
| 2000 | 0.78 |
| 2010 | 0.8 |
How is the word Neapolitan pronounced?
British English
/nɪəˈpɒlᵻt(ə)n/
neer-POL-uh-tuhn
/ˌniːəˈpɒlᵻt(ə)n/
nee-uh-POL-uh-tuhn
U.S. English
/ˌniəˈpɑlətn/
nee-uh-PAH-luh-tuhn
/ˌniəˈpɑlədən/
nee-uh-PAH-luh-duhn
Where does the word Neapolitan come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the word Neapolitan is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for Neapolitan is from around 1425, in the writing of John Lydgate, poet and prior of Hatfield Regis.
Neapolitan is a borrowing from Latin.
Etymons: Latin Neāpolītānus.
Nearby entries
- Neanderthalian, adj. & n.1920–
- Neanderthalic, adj.1922–
- Neanderthaloid, adj. & n.1887–
- neanic, adj.1892–
- néant, n.1847–
- neanthropic, adj.1894–
- neap, n.²1553–
- neap, adj. & n.¹Old English–
- neap, v.1513–
- neapness, n.1720–
- Neapolitan, n. & adj.c1425–
- Neapolitan ice, n.1867–
- Neapolitan ice cream, n.1868–
- Neapolitan mandolin, n.1944–
- Neapolitan maple, n.1833–82
- Neapolitan mastiff, n.1964–
- Neapolitan medlar, n.1597–1884
- Neapolitan ointment, n.1753
- Neapolitan sixth, n.1871–
- Neapolitan song, n.1857–
- Neapolitan system, n.1959–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for Neapolitan, n. & adj.
Neapolitan, n. & adj. was revised in June 2003.
Neapolitan, n. & adj. was last modified in March 2024.
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into Neapolitan, n. & adj. in March 2024.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1906)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Citation details
Factsheet for Neapolitan, n. & adj.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- Neanderthalian, adj. & n.1920–
- Neanderthalic, adj.1922–
- Neanderthaloid, adj. & n.1887–
- neanic, adj.1892–
- néant, n.1847–
- neanthropic, adj.1894–
- neap, n.²1553–
- neap, adj. & n.¹Old English–
- neap, v.1513–
- neapness, n.1720–
- Neapolitan, n. & adj.c1425–
- Neapolitan ice, n.1867–
- Neapolitan ice cream, n.1868–
- Neapolitan mandolin, n.1944–
- Neapolitan maple, n.1833–82
- Neapolitan mastiff, n.1964–
- Neapolitan medlar, n.1597–1884
- Neapolitan ointment, n.1753
- Neapolitan sixth, n.1871–
- Neapolitan song, n.1857–
- Neapolitan system, n.1959–
