novitiate
Americannoun
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the state or period of being a novice of a religious order or congregation.
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the quarters occupied by religious novices during probation.
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the state or period of being a beginner in anything.
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a novice.
noun
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the state of being a novice, esp in a religious order, or the period for which this lasts
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the part of a religious house where the novices live
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a less common word for novice
Etymology
Origin of novitiate
1590–1600; < Medieval Latin, equivalent to novīti ( us ) novice + -ātus -ate 3
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Unbeknownst to Daniel, she’s a former novitiate who remains a committed Catholic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Set in Rome in 1971 just before the events of the first movie, “The First Omen’s” central figure is Margaret Daino, a dewy, virginal American novitiate played by Nell Tiger Free.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 5, 2024
He entered the novitiate in 1946 and was ordained in 1959.
From New York Times ● Sep. 20, 2022
Julie Andrews stars as a novitiate turned governess in this beloved 1965 musical set in pre-WWII Austria.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2021
And then she saw one of her novitiate sisters weeping over the death of her grandfather, and Sister Ignatia staring at the girl—all hunger and muscle and predatory leap.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
