No·va·lis (n?-vä?l?s) Pen name of Friedrich von Hardenberg. 1772-1801. German philosopher and writer whose works, including the poem cycle Hymns to the Night (1800), combine refined spiritual longing and romantic emotional intensity.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.Novalis (German no?va?l?s) n (Biography) real name Friedrich von Hardenberg. 1772?1801, German romantic poet. His works include the mystical Hymnen an die Nacht (1797; published 1800) and Geistliche Lieder (1799)Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014