novice

English

Etymology

From Middle English novice, novys, from Anglo-Norman novice, Middle French novice, itself borrowed from Latin novīcius, later novitius (“new, newly arrived”) (in Late Latin as a noun, masculine novicius, feminine novicia (“one who has newly entered a monastery or a convent”)), from novus (“new”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈnɒvɪs/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈnɑvɪs/

Noun

novice (plural novices)

1. A beginner; one who is not very familiar or experienced in a particular subject.

   I'm only a novice at coding, and my programs frequently have bugs that more experienced programmers would avoid.

3. (religion) A new member of a religious order accepted on a conditional basis, prior to confirmation.
   • 1983, Lawrence Durrell, Sebastian, Faber & Faber 2004 (Avignon Quintet), page 1137:

     Nor had it been difficult to find a Coptic priest who, together with his youthful novice, chanted the seemingly interminable Egyptian service of the dead

Synonyms

• (person new to an activity): amateur, greenhorn, learner, neophyte, newbie, newling
• See also Thesaurus:beginner

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• “novice”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “novice”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “novice”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• nocive

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French novice, from Old French novice, borrowed from Late Latin novīcius, novīcia (“one who has newly entered a monastery or a convent”), from Latin novīcius, novītius (“new, newly arrived”), from novus (“new”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɔ.vis/

Noun

novice m or f by sense (plural novices)

1. beginner, novice

Adjective

novice (plural novices)

1. inexperienced

Further reading

• “novice”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Norman

Etymology

From Old French novice, borrowed from Late Latin novīcius, novīcia (“one who has newly entered a monastery or a convent”), from Latin novīcius, novītius (“new, newly arrived”), from novus (“new”).

Noun

novice m or f (plural novices)

1. (Jersey) novice

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French novice.

Noun

novice m (plural novici)

1. novice

Declension