greenhorn
[ green-hawrn ]
/ ˈgrinˌhɔrn /
noun
an untrained or inexperienced person.
a naive or gullible person; someone who is easily tricked or swindled.
Slang. a newly arrived immigrant; newcomer.
RELATED WORDS
rube, tenderfoot, beginner, learner, colt, novice, recruit, neophyte, virgin, amateur, newcomer, hayseed, simpleton, babe, tyro, apprentice, naif, ingenue
Nearby words
- greengrocer,
- greengrocery,
- greenham common,
- greenhead,
- greenheart,
- greenhouse,
- greenhouse effect,
- greenhouse gas,
- greenhouse whitefly,
- greenie
Origin of greenhorn
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for greenhorn
greenhorn
/ (ˈɡriːnˌhɔːn) /
noun
an inexperienced person, esp one who is extremely gullible
mainly US a newcomer or immigrant
Word Origin for greenhorn
C17: originally an animal with green (that is, young) horns
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
greenhorn
mid-15c., "young horned animal," from green (adj.) in sense of "new, fresh, recent" + horn (n.). Applied to new soldiers from c.1650; extended to any inexperienced person by 1680s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper