apprentice

[ uh-pren-tis ]
See synonyms for: apprenticeapprenticedapprenticingapprenticeship on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a person who works for another in order to learn a trade: an apprentice to a plumber.

  2. History/Historical. a person legally bound through indenture to a master craftsman in order to learn a trade.

  1. a learner; novice; tyro.

  2. U.S. Navy. an enlisted person receiving specialized training.

  3. a jockey with less than one year's experience who has won fewer than 40 races.

verb (used with object),ap·pren·ticed, ap·pren·tic·ing.
  1. to bind to or place with an employer, master craftsman, or the like, for instruction in a trade.

verb (used without object),ap·pren·ticed, ap·pren·tic·ing.
  1. to serve as an apprentice: He apprenticed for 14 years under a master silversmith.

Origin of apprentice

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English ap(p)rentis, from Anglo-French, Old French ap(p)rentiz, from unattested Vulgar Latin apprenditīcius, equivalent to unattested apprendit(us) (for Latin apprehēnsus; see apprehensible) + Latin -īcius suffix forming adjectives from past participles, here nominalized

Other words from apprentice

  • ap·pren·tice·ship, noun
  • un·ap·pren·ticed, adjective

Words Nearby apprentice

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use apprentice in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for apprentice

apprentice

/ (əˈprɛntɪs) /


noun
  1. someone who works for a skilled or qualified person in order to learn a trade or profession, esp for a recognized period

  2. any beginner or novice

verb
  1. (tr) to take, place, or bind as an apprentice

Origin of apprentice

1
C14: from Old French aprentis, from Old French aprendre to learn, from Latin apprehendere to apprehend

Derived forms of apprentice

  • apprenticeship, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012