'Dime novel' definitions:
Definition of 'dime novel'
(from WordNet)
noun
A melodramatic paperback novel [syn: dime novel, penny dreadful]
Definition of 'Dime novel'
From: GCIDE
- Dime \Dime\ (d[imac]m), n. [F. d[^i]me tithe, OF. disme, fr. L. decimus the tenth, fr. decem ten. See Decimal.] A silver coin of the United States, of the value of ten cents; the tenth of a dollar. [1913 Webster]
- Dime novel, a novel, commonly sensational and trashy, which is sold for a dime, or ten cents; -- they were popular from ca. 1850 to ca. 1920. Sometimes the term is still applied to any novel of the type, though the price has greatly increased. [1913 Webster +PJC]