apprentice
/əˈpɹɛntɪs/ noun, verb
Forms apprentices apprenticing apprenticed apprentise
- noun A trainee, especially in a skilled trade.
- noun (historical) One who is bound by indentures or by legal agreement to serve a tradesperson, or other person, for a certain time, with a view to learn the art, or trade, in which his master is bound to instruct him.
- noun (dated) One not well versed in a subject; a tyro or newbie.
- verb (transitive) To put under the care and supervision of a master, for the purpose of instruction in a trade or business. “His father had apprenticed him to a silk merchant.”
- verb (transitive) To be an apprentice to. “Joe apprenticed three different photographers before setting up his own studio.”
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English apprentice, apprentesse, apprentyse, apprentis, from Old French aprentis, plural of aprentif, from Old French aprendre (verb), Late Latin apprendō, from Classical Latin apprehendō.
Compare typologically Latin discipulus (akin to capiō); Russian ухвати́ть (uxvatítʹ), нахвата́ться (naxvatátʹsja), схва́тывать на лету́ (sxvátyvatʹ na letú), and, for another aspect, быть на подхва́те (bytʹ na podxváte) (both akin to хвата́ть (xvatátʹ)).
Webster’s 1913
- noun One who is bound by indentures or by legal agreement to serve a mechanic, or other person, for a certain time, with a view to learn the art, or trade, in which his master is bound to instruct him.
- noun One not well versed in a subject; a tyro.
- verb To bind to, or put under the care of, a master, for the purpose of instruction in a trade or business.
Etymology [OE. apprentice, prentice, OF. aprentis, nom. of aprentif, fr. apprendare to learn, L. apprendere, equiv. to apprehendere, to take hold of (by the mind), to comprehend. See Apprehend, Prentice.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “apprentice”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details