"Neo" has several meanings depending on the context:
- As a prefix derived from Greek, "neo-" means "new," "recent," "revived," or "modified," and is used to form compound words like neo-Darwinism or neoclassical
- In astronomy, "NEO" stands for Near-Earth Object, which refers to comets or asteroids whose orbits bring them close to Earth
- In blockchain technology, NEO is an open-source platform and ecosystem designed to build a "smart economy" by digitizing assets and identities using smart contracts. It supports two native tokens, NEO and NEO Gas, and uses a consensus mechanism called delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance (dBFT) to enable fast, low-cost transactions
- In popular culture, Neo is the protagonist of The Matrix film series, portrayed by Keanu Reeves. Neo is a fictional character known as "The One" who has superhuman abilities within the simulated reality of the Matrix
- The term "neo" also appears in political contexts, such as in "neo-Nazism," referring to post-World War II movements that seek to revive Nazi ideology
Thus, "neo" can signify something new or revived linguistically, a specific blockchain platform, a character in fiction, an astronomical classification, or a political movement depending on usage.