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novitiate

or no·vi·ci·ate

[noh-vish-ee-it, -eyt]
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noun

the state or period of being a novice of a religious order or congregation.
the quarters occupied by religious novices during probation.
the state or period of being a beginner in anything.
a novice.

RELATED WORDS

amateur, learner, fish, novice, recruit, neophyte, initiate, newcomer, abecedarian, student, trainee, freshman, fledgling, tenderfoot, greenhorn, tyro, colt, starter, apprentice, probationer

Nearby words

  1. novi sad,
  2. novia,
  3. novice,
  4. novillero,
  5. novio,
  6. novo hamburgo,
  7. novobiocin,
  8. novocain,
  9. novocaine,
  10. novocherkassk

Origin of novitiate

1590–1600; < Medieval Latin, equivalent to novīti(us) novice + -ātus -ate3
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for novitiate

British Dictionary definitions for novitiate

novitiate

noviciate

noun

the state of being a novice, esp in a religious order, or the period for which this lasts
the part of a religious house where the novices live
a less common word for novice

Word Origin for novitiate

C17: from French noviciat, from Latin novīcius novice
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 novitiate

novitiate

n.

also noviciate, "state of being a novice," c.1600, from Middle French noviciat or directly from Medieval Latin novitiatus, from Late Latin novitius "novice," from Latin adjective novicius (see novice).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper