# What is the oldest 'new' thing?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-oldest-new-thing/736259>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 31, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-oldest-new-thing/736259 "2015-10-31T14:54:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2015, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-oldest-new-thing/736259/61 "2015-11-08T11:57:35Z")

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> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> Le Pont Neuf in Paris. That translates to “the new bridge” and was completed in 1599. It’s probably the oldest single structure still called “new.”

Loses out to New College, Oxford (as **bonzer** noted), founded in 1379 and known by that name since before 1400. And probably to some other structures already mentioned as well.

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**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2015, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-oldest-new-thing/736259/62 "2015-11-08T12:02:17Z")

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> [@Squink](#):
>
> **Neutron** , with a tip of the hat to the German language. Many may be as old as 13.8 billion years.

I know you didn’t intend this as a serious contender because the word “neutron” is recently coined. But actually, “neutron” doesn’t even qualify as a name signifying “new”.

It means the “neutral” particle, from Latin _neuter_ which is derived from _ne uter_, “not one nor the other”, rather than from German _neu_, “new”.

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