Novice

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈnɒvɪs/

Definitions

1. A person who is new to and inexperienced in a particular activity or field
2. Someone who has recently begun learning a skill or subject and lacks expertise or practice in it
3. A beginner lacking skill or familiarity with a specific task, occupation, or area of knowledge

Etymology: The word "novice" traces back to the Latin "novus," meaning "new," and it first described someone who had just joined a religious community. In Late Latin, "novicius" (masculine) and "novicia" (feminine) referred to a person who had newly entered a monastery or convent, and the term carried that sense of being freshly arrived rather than being untrained. Its earlier Latin form, "novitius," shows the same root in a slightly different shape. The word reached English in Middle English as "novys" or "novice," borrowed through Anglo-Norman and Middle French. Its original setting was therefore monastic life, where a novice was expected to prove his or her vocation before taking vows. The idea of a beginner in any skill grew out of that sense of someone still new to a way of life.

Synonyms: beginner, learner, trainee, newcomer, neophyte

Antonyms: expert, veteran, master, pro, authority