n. 1. A person new to a field or activity; a beginner. 2. A person who has entered a religious order but has not yet taken final vows. Also called novitiate. [Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin novīcius, from Latin, recently entered into a condition, from Latin novus, new; see newo- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.