neophyte
noun
[ ˈniːə(ʊ)fʌɪt ]
• a person who is new to a subject or activity.
• "four-day cooking classes are offered to neophytes and experts"
Similar:
beginner,
learner,
novice,
newcomer,
new member,
new entrant,
new recruit,
raw recruit,
new boy/girl,
initiate,
tyro,
fledgling,
trainee,
apprentice,
probationer,
rookie,
new kid,
newbie,
newie,
tenderfoot,
greenhorn,
punk,
• a new convert to a religion.
Origin:
late Middle English: via ecclesiastical Latin from Greek neophutos, literally ‘newly planted’ but first used in the sense ‘new convert’ by St Paul (1 Tim. 3:6), from neos ‘new’ + phuton ‘plant’.
