apprentice

[ uh-pren-tis ]

/ əˈprɛn tɪs /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR apprentice ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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

a learner; novice; tyro.

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

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.

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.

to serve as an apprentice: He apprenticed for 14 years under a master silversmith.

QUIZZES

Discover The Influence Of Portuguese On English Via This Quiz!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?

Question 1 of 11

Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?

owl

crow

piranha

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby apprentice

appreciatory, apprehend, apprehensible, apprehension, apprehensive, apprentice, appressed, appressorium, apprise, apprize, appro

Origin of apprentice

1300–50; Middle English ap(p)rentis < Anglo-French, Old French ap(p)rentiz < Vulgar Latin *apprenditīcius, equivalent to *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, nounun·ap·pren·ticed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for apprentice

Cocker, for his part, worked briefly as an apprentice gasfitter but decided to take the plunge into the world of commercial music.
The Greatest Rock Voice of All Time Belonged to Joe Cocker|Ted Gioia|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now, the onetime Lloyd Kaufman/Troma apprentice is the toast of Tinseltown.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Filmmaker James Gunn on His Glorious Space Opera and Rise to the A-List|Marlow Stern|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1966 Browne joined BP as an apprentice; his postings with them bought him to the US.
BP, Putin, and the Power of Oil|Tim Teeman|March 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While Trump has The Apprentice on NBC, Morris and Palin have recently been fired from Fox News.
At CPAC, Calls for Fresh Ideas Are Followed by the Same Stale Shtick|Michael Moynihan|March 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Even reality-TV shows such as The Apprentice and Survivor are fodder for the modern college student.
‘50 Shades of Grey’ Is the Subject of a Course at American University|Rachel Kramer Bussel|December 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The result was that Mr. Younger took Paul back with him to Whitehaven, bound shipmaster's apprentice.
Paul Jones|Hutchins Hapgood
In the apprentice and technical schools, there are fifteen men to every two women.
Japanese Girls and Women|Alice Mabel Bacon
The claim is void unless made within four weeks of the dissolution of apprentice relations.
The Theory and Policy of Labour Protection|Albert Eberhard Friedrich Schffle
The first words read by the apprentice had stilled the breaking storm of the Master's anger.
The Battle Of The Strong, Complete|Gilbert Parker
Or is it some sixteen-year-old apprentice, a scandal to his pastor and schoolmaster, whose hands he has only just left?
Pelle the Conqueror, Complete|Martin Anderson Nexo

British Dictionary definitions for apprentice

apprentice

/ (əˈprɛntɪs) /

noun

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

any beginner or novice

verb

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

Derived forms of apprentice

apprenticeship, noun

Word Origin for apprentice

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

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

apprentice

noun

verb (used with object), ap·pren·ticed, ap·pren·tic·ing.

verb (used without object), ap·pren·ticed, ap·pren·tic·ing.

QUIZZES

Words related to apprentice

Words nearby apprentice

Origin of apprentice

OTHER WORDS FROM apprentice

Example sentences from the Web for apprentice

British Dictionary definitions for apprentice

noun

verb

Derived forms of apprentice

Word Origin for apprentice