apprentice

[uh-pren-tis]

See more 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.

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

Related formsap·pren·tice·ship, nounun·ap·pren·ticed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for apprentice

pupil, flunky, rook, tenderfoot, beginner, novitiate, neophyte, newcomer, heel, student, rookie, amateur, tyro, starter, greenhorn, probationer

Examples from the Web for apprentice

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of apprentice

The Assistant Commissioner interrupted the apprentice statesman.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
His son William has been with me this winter, and goes in May to be an apprentice to a mason.
The Letters of Robert Burns
Robert Burns
The chauffeur began to supply the wants of his machine with the help of an apprentice.
A Nest of Spies
Pierre Souvestre
I understood, Marzak, that thou art sailing with us as apprentice.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini
The apprentice's face appeared to me to say all that, and he had an honest face.
Continental Monthly, Vol. III, No IV, April 1863
Various

British Dictionary definitions for apprentice

apprentice

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 Formsapprenticeship, 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

Word Origin and History for apprentice

c.1300, from Old French aprentiz "someone learning" (13c., Modern French apprenti, taking the older form as a plural), also as an adjective, "unskilled, inexperienced," from aprendre (Modern French apprendre) "to learn; to teach," contracted from Latin apprehendere (see apprehend). Shortened form prentice long was more usual in English.

1630s, from apprentice (n.). Related: Apprenticed; apprenticing.