neophyte
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈniː.əˌfaɪt/
ipa: /ˈniː.oʊˌfaɪt/
Forms: form: neophytes
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin neophytus, from Ancient Greek νεόφυτος (neóphutos, “newly planted”), from νέος (néos, “new”) + φυτόν (phutón, “plant, child”). By surface analysis, neo- + -phyte.
Senses: examples: text: A convert's enthusiasm for his new religion is greater than that of a person who is born in it. Vegetarianism was then a new cult in England, and likewise for me, because, as we have seen, I had gone there a convinced meat-eater, and was intellectually converted to vegetarianism later. Full of the neophyte's zeal for vegetarianism, I decided to start a vegetarian club in my locality, Bayswater.
ref: 1927, M[ohandas] K[aramchand] Gandhi, chapter XVII, in Mahadev Desai, transl., The Story of My Experiments with Truth: Translated from the Original in Gujarati, volume I, Ahmedabad, Gujarat: Navajivan Press, →OCLC:
text: In this scene Lupita, the neophyte, is counselled by more weathered professionals about the rules and regulations of whoring.
ref: 1980, Journal of Spanish Studies: twentieth century, volume 8, Kansas State University, page 95:
text: […]everyone has to own the floors of whoever you vote for, whether they are a lying handsy narcissistic sociopath[…] or a conspiracy-pandering political neophyte with no clear understanding of how government operates and who once recorded this folk rap about the virtues of bicycling.
ref: 2016 October 16, “Third Parties”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 3, episode 26, spoken by John Oliver, via HBO:
synonyms: word: beginner
word: newbie
word: newcomer
word: starter
word: abecedarian
word: alphabetarian
word: apprentice
word: amateur
word: beginner
word: bun
word: colt
word: first-timer
word: fledgling
word: fresh meat
word: freshman
word: greenhorn
word: greenie
word: greener
word: homo novus
word: inceptor
word: initiate
word: Johnny-come-lately
word: learner
word: neophyte
word: newbie
word: newb
word: newbro
word: new chum
word: newcomer
word: newling
word: noob
word: n00b
word: novice
word: novitiate
word: nozzer
word: nub
word: nubcake
word: puny
word: pup
word: probationer
word: probationist
word: probie
word: recruit
word: stranger
word: rookie
word: tenderfoot
word: trainee
word: tyro
word: younker
glosses: A beginner; a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief.
examples: text: The neophyte was given a new name in place of the baptismal one, usually of an evil and revolting character, and this was written in blood in the Devil's book, the covers of which were bound in the skin of unbaptised infants.
ref: 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 107:
synonyms: novice
proselyte
glosses: A novice (recent convert); a new convert or proselyte; a new monk.
topics: Christianity
glosses: Among the early Christians, and still among the Roman Catholics, one who has recently embraced the Christian faith, and been admitted to baptism, especially those converts from heathenism or Judaism.
topics: biology
botany
natural-sciences
antonyms: archaeophyte
glosses: A plant species recently introduced to an area (in contrast to archaeophyte, a long-established introduced species).
Derived terms: neophytal
neophytic
neophytish
neophytism