neat1

[neet] /nit/
adjective, neater, neatest.
1.
in a pleasingly orderly and clean condition:
a neat room.
2.
habitually orderly and clean in appearance or habits:
a neat person.
3.
of a simple, pleasing appearance, style, design, etc.:
a neat cottage.
4.
cleverly effective in character or execution:
a neat scheme; a neat solution.
5.
Slang. great; wonderful; fine:
What a neat car!
6.
clever, dexterous, or apt:
She gave a neat characterization of the old woman.
7.
straight (def 33).
8.
Building Trades.
  1. (of cement) without sand or other aggregate.
  2. (of plaster) without any admixture except hair or fiber.
9.
net:
neat profits.
adverb
10.
Informal. neatly.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English net spruce, trim, clean < Middle French < Latin nitidus shining, polished, handsome, spruce, equivalent to nit(ēre) to shine + -idus -id4
Related forms
neatly, adverb
neatness, noun
Synonyms
1. spruce, smart. 4. finished, well-planned. 6. adroit. 7. unmixed, pure.
Antonyms
1. sloppy. 6. maladroit. 7. mixed.

neat2

[neet] /nit/
noun, plural neat.
1.
an animal of the genus Bos; a bovine, as a cow or ox.
Origin
before 900; Middle English neet, Old English nēat, cognate with Old Norse naut, Middle Dutch noot; akin to Old English nēotan to use, possess
Examples from the web for neat
  • It was located high on the mountain, where simple piles of dirt had been arranged in neat rows.
  • Objects in his bedroom must be arranged in neat, parallel lines, toiletries and desk items perfectly aligned.
  • It had concrete floors and was arranged in neat rows in flat spots at the bases of the mountains.
  • The hospital, a neat white building along a lane of avocado trees, is buried deep within.
  • The thin, the focused and the neat are freaks-but they are cut out for success.
  • Ostrich meat that is cut into neat slices or re-formed into steaks called medallions or mignons cooks quite evenly.
  • But it's neat as a model for students trying to understand how all the critical approaches interrelate around a particular work.
  • The holographic division consequently gives us a rather neat way of writing down the following symmetry balance equation.
  • Traditionally, dinosaur diets seemed to break down along neat evolutionary lines.
  • Remove faded bloom stalks and oldest stems to keep it neat.
British Dictionary definitions for neat

neat1

/niːt/
adjective
1.
clean, tidy, and orderly
2.
liking or insisting on order and cleanliness; fastidious
3.
smoothly or competently done; efficient: a neat job
4.
pat or slick: his excuse was suspiciously neat
5.
(of alcoholic drinks) without added water, lemonade, etc; undiluted
6.
a less common word for net2 neat profits
7.
(slang, mainly US & Canadian) good; pleasing; admirable
Derived Forms
neatly, adverb
neatness, noun
Word Origin
C16: from Old French net, from Latin nitidus clean, shining, from nitēre to shine; related to Middle Irish niam beauty, brightness, Old Persian naiba- beautiful

neat2

/niːt/
noun (pl) neat
1.
(archaic or dialect) a domestic bovine animal
Word Origin
Old English neat
Word Origin and History for neat
adj.

1540s, "clean, free from dirt," from Anglo-French neit, Middle French net "clear, pure" (12c.), from Latin nitidus "well-favored, elegant, trim," literally "gleaming," from nitere "to shine," from PIE root *nei- "to shine" (cf. Middle Irish niam "gleam, splendor," niamda "shining;" Old Irish noib "holy," niab "strength;" Welsh nwyfiant "gleam, splendor").

Meaning "inclined to be tidy" is from 1570s. Of liquor, "straight," c.1800, from meaning "unadulterated" (of wine), which is first attested 1570s. Informal sense of "very good" first recorded 1934 in American English; variant neato is teenager slang, first recorded 1968. Related: Neatly; neatness.

n.

"ox, bullock, cow," Old English neat "ox, beast, animal," from Proto-Germanic *nautam "thing of value, possession" (cf. Old Frisian nat, Middle Dutch noot, Old High German noz, Old Norse naut), from PIE root *neud- "to make use of, enjoy."

Slang definitions & phrases for neat

neat

adjective
  1. Excellent; wonderful (1920s+ Teenagers)
  2. Without water or another mixer; undiluted; straight, straight-up •Used to describe spirits: I'll take my Scotch neat, please (1579+)