# neophyte

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈniː.əˌfaɪt/ · frequency rank #65,336

## Definitions
1. A beginner; a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief.
2. A novice (recent convert); a new convert or proselyte; a new monk.
3. 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.
4. A plant species recently introduced to an area (in contrast to archaeophyte, a long-established introduced species).

## 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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/neophyte