# novitiate

> English word · Noun · IPA /nəˈvɪʃi.ət/ · frequency rank #81,634

## Definitions
1. A novice.
2. The period during which a novice of a religious order undergoes training.
3. The place where a novice lives and studies.

## Etymology
First attested in 1517; either borrowed from Middle French noviciat, novitiat or from Medieval Latin noviciātus, novitiātus (“a novitiate”), from Latin novicius, novitius + -ātus (see -ate (forming nouns denoting a rank or office)), from novus (“new”). Sense 1 is not attested in cognates.

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