Did the word "news" come from north-east-west-south?

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Did the word "news" come from north-east-west-south?

2007-09-13 14:46:03 · 2 answers · asked by Bill W 【ツ】 6 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay

2 answers

Sorry, nothing so interesting as that.

News" developed as a special use of the plural form of "new" in the 14th century. In Middle English, the equivalent word was 'newes', based on the French 'nouvelles'.

It is not, as is often claimed, an acronym for "north, east, west, south".

2007-09-13 14:55:19 · answer #1 · answered by ghouly05 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋

Yes. But it doesn't explain why announcers don't say "Here are the news."

2007-09-13 22:02:41 · answer #2 · answered by picador 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋