no·vel·la (nō-vĕl'ə)
n., pl., -vel·las, or -vel·le (-vĕl'ē, -vĕl'ā).

1. A short prose tale often characterized by moral teaching or satire.
2. A short novel.

[Italian. See novel¹.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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